These baristas learned the hard way that employers sometimes grant recognition but stonewall workers at the bargaining table — even on changes that would help the business.
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 […]
Paid in Full: The campaign at TTX (Part I)
AP Geller talks about a solidarity union campaign they helped organize at a telecoms subcontractor, from 2014-2016. TTX, when it still existed, was a commercial telecommunications services subcontractor based in Frederick, MD, servicing the Baltimore/DC metro […]
“Just go and shut it down”: A postal carrier on the struggle at Canada Post
An interview with a postal carrier in Canada. Their union, CUPW, is currently negotiating a new contract with Canada Post. After 37 days of rotating strikes and occupations, workers were legislated back to work this […]
Movie Review: Final Offer (1985)
Organizing Work will be publishing reviews of films, old and new, about unions and organizing. Written by workers and organizers, these will differ from standard movie reviews: they will draw out the lessons about organizing, […]
The IWW Campaign at Star Tickets: Part II
Deirdre C reflects on the IWW campaign at Star Tickets call center from 2010-2014. Part I can be read here. This part focuses on the election, bargaining, and the end of the campaign. Why we […]
Wobcast #1: Not The Standard Playbook
Introducing Wobcast! This is a podcast produced out of the Edmonton branch of the IWW. It is about workplace organizing, with a focus on solidarity unionism. In this first episode, Nick Driedger explains the difference […]