Robin J. Cartwright explores the historical origins of “workplace contractualism” in the U.S. — the predominant model of unionism, whereby workers and employers negotiate a contract. He notes that employers themselves pushed for the contract […]
Do Solidarity Unions Need to “Go Public”?
MK Lees and Marianne Garneau reexamine whether it is necessary for solidarity unions to declare themselves a union to the boss. This piece originally appeared at Libcom.org. Introduction In an election-driven workplace-organizing campaign, going public […]
Organizing Versus Activism
JS Richard describes the difference between activism and organizing, arguing that activism is politically ineffective and should be abandoned for an organizing approach. This is further afield than our usual workplace organizing pieces, but is […]
Boom Without Bust: Solidarity unionism for the long term
MK Lees and Marianne Garneau describe what a solidarity union looks like in the long term, and what it can accomplish. More to the point, they argue against the popular perception that contracts are needed […]
Wobbly Franchising Opportunities! Please Inquire Within
This piece was originally written five years ago, in response to some activity in the IWW, but never published. I learned about it a few weeks ago and was shocked by its contemporary relevance. It […]
Before you file for that election…
A checklist of things a workplace committee should have in place before petitioning for an election with the National Labor Relations Board. The IWW has a good track record when it comes to winning workplace […]
There is Only One Democratic Funding Model
Groups working for social change — including unions — fund that activity in different ways. G DeJunz argues that dues are the only democratic form of funding, and the only one that allows members of […]