Ray Valentine talks about the limitations of the community organizing model. About five years ago, after a friend told me about a flyer he had seen taped to a tree near my block, I got […]
Guest podcast on the Women’s Strike
The LaborWave podcast interviewed Marianne Garneau about the women’s strike and her review of Feminism for the 99%. Listen here. I do not think that power is developed by calling people out into the streets, […]
How come sometimes bosses fight back, and sometimes they give in?
Marianne Garneau reflects on how to bring pressure against the boss
Leadership is not going to help us: Film review of Memory and Muscle (1995)
On the surface, this is a review of a classic documentary about a massive, illegal 1965 strike by Canadian postal workers – written by a postal worker, who was himself involved in the rotating strikes […]
Our Union Is the Only Morale Booster That Job Has: The campaign at CallUs
CallUs (not the real business name) is a call center in the Midwest with roughly 750 employees. We spoke to three workers who have been part of an organizing effort there at various times. PART […]
You Can’t Hide From Class Struggle: The campaign at Smiling Bear Café
Gaby recounts the story of an organizing campaign at a café in Montréal, where baristas successfully negotiated a raise and benefits. Workers initially avoided identifying as a union, and framed themselves as trying to improve […]
The Women’s Strike, Reconsidered
Marianne Garneau reviews Feminism for the 99%: A Manifesto. In a new book, Feminism for the 99%: A Manifesto (Verso, 2019), Cinzia Arruzza, Tithi Bhattacharya and Nancy Fraser put forward the “women’s strike” as the much-needed reinvention […]
Solidarity and Power in the Face of a Terrified Employer: The IWW campaign at Frite Alors
Frite Alors is a small restaurant franchise in Quebec with about ten locations. In 2015, an organizing campaign began at the Rachel Street location – one of the locations owned by the founder. Here, a […]
Administering Hardship or Strike Funds
Recently, the Seattle branch of the IWW created a hardship fund to assist workers involved in an IWW organizing campaign (referred to in this piece as a “job branch”). We spoke to the treasurer, a […]