Written by three members of the Atlanta General Defense Committee[1] “Outside Agitators” – but who’s agitating? The scene in Auburn, AL when we showed up was one of the most bizarre we’ve ever seen in a political context. Neo-nazi spokesperson Richard Spencer had just been allowed to begin his speech in Foy Hall, after a […]
Printable PDF Version Back to the Future, Part 1: The last general strike in the US was in Oakland in 1946. That year there were 6 city-wide general strikes, plus nationwide strikes in steel, coal, and rail transport. More than 5 million workers struck in the biggest strike wave of US history. So what happened? Why haven’t […]
This is a recording from the IWW Southern Speaking Tour event which took place in Houston, TX, earlier this summer. The IWW Southern Speaking Tour saw events in 13 different Southern Cities and was probably the largest coordinated IWW activity across the South since the 1930s. We hope that it’s just the prelude to much […]
GOALS FOR THE IWW OF 2020: 10,000 members in North America 100 Branches in North America, with an average size of 100 members 1,000 members and 20 Branches in the US South HOW WE GET THERE: Fully automated luxury syndicalism Eradicate amateurism Strong metrics on membership recruitment, engagement, and attrition Crush bosses
Don Jennings AKA Randy Lowens AKA Prole Cat (May 2, 1960 – March 8, 2012)* There are large parts of the American South in which anyone who questions the Iraq war, or thinks that women should decide what to do with their own body, is considered to be radical, on the extreme edge of […]
[I’m honored to host this obituary for FW Bill Krist, written by J. Pierce, et al. I feel fortunate to have been able to meet Bill shortly before he passed, and agree with J. Pierce that he provides a great example of what it means to be a “Lifelong Wobbly.” A shorter version of this […]
Two prominent IWW campaigns have recently incorporated Thanksgiving into their strategy, recognizing that this is an incredibly profitable time for US capitalism, and a time when most US workers want to work less and spend time with people they care about.
From February to April 2011, everyone had their eyes on Wisconsin, praying for or dreading the widespread, self-organized strikes against the state’s austerity measures that seemed like a real possibility. So much has happened since then that it almost seems like ancient history, but this movement was seen by many of us at the time […]
[Introduction: Minneapolis Community and Technical College produced the 1935 play Waiting for Lefty in October 2013. I wrote an article for the December ’13 Industrial Worker reviewing the concept of the play, the production at MCTC, and the relevance for building a revolutionary labor movement today. A Fellow Worker from Minneapolis wrote a letter to the IW about the […]
When the Spanish CNT held its first Congress after the death of Franco, in 1979, there were thousands of attendees representing hundreds of new branches across the country. The mid 1970s saw an explosively resurgent and uncontrollable labor movement which the state was desperately trying to rein in, and many of the more radical elements […]
Lifelong Wobbly 