This post comes from the Hamilton, Ontario branch of the IWW. It describes a successful direct action campaign to recover a worker’s stolen wages, using the “solidarity network” model. A solidarity network is a group of community members (as opposed to workers within a workplace)
This story, about a strike at a bingo hall in Allentown, PA in 1992, was originally published in John Silvano’s Nothing in Common: An Oral History of IWW Strikes, 1971-1992. We are reprinting it because of its stark illustration of a number of important lessons: employers will knowingly,
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 filed for an election I had presented a doctor’s note
Luigi Rinaldi reflects on an organizing campaign at a grocery store in Rhode Island. This continues our series “Pushing Through,” which reflects on what it takes to develop an organizing campaign into a full-fledged union. From 2014 to 2017 I was part of an organizing
**We recently lost our email subscription list due to technical difficulties. Please re-subscribe with your email at the bottom of this post!** Jason Fults talks about his experience organizing with the IWW at Ward’s Grocery in Gainesville, FL in 2008. Interview by Marianne Garneau. How did
The IWW is distinct from most unions — we don’t collect dues through the employer, and we rely on “shop committees” of workers taking direct action in the workplace instead of contracts serviced by a paid external staff. Using this approach, the IWW has sometimes
Martha Pierce describes how a solidarity union handled a couple of urgent health and safety issues. Staff at this workplace are organized under the IWW. The summer of 2018 wasn’t a smooth season for the workers of Stardust Diner. However, it showed a perfect example
This story, from a small restaurant with majority IWW presence, describes some strategic mistakes that were made around a march on the boss. To me, the story has a particular significance: it is an example of the growing pains solidarity union organizing campaigns experience. Many
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 system in order to tame unions, and to engage union