In April 1999, 8,000 nurses in Saskatchewan engaged in a ten-day illegal strike. Marianne Garneau interviewed the president of the union and chair of the bargaining committee at the time, about how the strike was built, and whether they could see such a thing happening today.
How West Virginia teachers defied the state—and their unions
Michael M describes his experience helping organize the West Virginia teacher strikes in 2018 and 2019, as a teacher and member of the West Virginia United caucus, and of the IWW.
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 […]
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 […]
Organizing in the Bad Old Days: The Harvest Collective drive, 1998-1999
Patrick McGuire recounts an organizing drive at a grocery coop in Winnipeg in the late 1990s, before the IWW developed its Organizer Training program. I went to a Propagandhi concert in 1993 and decided to […]
Candy store workers speak out
This essay, about organizing at a popular candy store in Halifax called Freak Lunchbox, was distributed yesterday among local cafés and retail establishments by the K’jipuktuk – Halifax IWW. It was written by former employees of the candy […]
“It’s Up To Us”: A reflection on the LAUSD strike and contract with teacher Tammy Matz
Tammy Matz has been an LAUSD public school teacher for almost eighteen years and currently teachers third grade at Melrose Elementary school, while also serving as that school’s UTLA Chapter Chair (the equivalent of “steward” […]
The Sick-Out: Education workers take direct action
An Education Support Professional describes a sick-out organized in protest of low pay and lack of respect “The shit rolls downhill in K-12” I work at a large (roughly 900 students) Pre-K through 8th grade […]