About
The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) is an international worker-run labour union which aims to unite all workers in One Big Union, to effectively organise and fight against the exploitation, injustice and oppression they are facing from their employers. It was originally founded in the United States of America in 1905, at a time when a large part of the working class (unskilled labourers, women, migrants, minorities etc.) were not accepted in the craft unions. Its founders understood that the entire working class must stand together against the interests of the employing class.
Our Name
"Industrial"
The term should not be confused as to mean only light and heavy industry. All sectors of economic life are called industries, for example healthcare, tourism, education, transportation, retail, services of all kinds, entertainment etc. Industrial unionism stands for the organization of whole industries, rather than individual trades, so that unions can be more effective, as well as not cause divides among the working class. For example, when a school is organised industrially, every worker – from the janitors to security and from secretaries to teachers – becomes the member of the same union. As such, when one worker or category of workers is targeted by the employers, they all fight back together in solidarity; thus, the slogan:
“An Injury to One is an Injury to All”.
"Workers"
Every member of the working class is a worker, including students, retirees, the unemployed and those who are temporarily or permanently unable to work. That is why the solidarity unionism model of the IWW stands for organizing not only in the workplace where workers work, but also in the communities where workers live. Evictions, high bills, pollution, unhealthy living conditions, access to health and other services, police brutality and social problems like racism and sexism, are all working class issues, and high on the IWW’s agenda of community struggles. While fighting for a truly democratic society, the union also struggles for workplace democracy, which is the active participation of workers in the decision-making of the company. A society where the majority of the population spends a big part of their waking hours in an environment where they have no control over or even a say, is not a democratic society; especially considering that the labor of workers is the source of the employers’ profits. In the same vein, the IWW is a union which was built by workers and is run by workers in a democratic horizontal manner, with no bureaucrats interfering with the decision-making of the rank and file; the members make the decisions, they carry them out with actions and they reap the full benefits of those actions.
"of the World"
The IWW is an international and multinational union, following the simple truth that all workers around the world have the same interests and that national barriers should not divide them. As such, the IWW has always been against all wars that pit workers of one country against the workers of another, in favour of the interests of the ruling class. Moreover, now more than ever the power of the employer class is global; in order to fight against this power, there is a need for global organising. Soon after its formation, the IWW spread in countries all over the world, and today has active bodies in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Iceland, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Belgium, Poland, Greece and Cyprus; Wobblies (the nickname of the members of the IWW) can be found in many other countries all over the world, including Latvia, India, the Philippines, Thailand, Turkey, Italy, France and others.
The Three Stars
Education
Knowledge is power. To build power in the workplace and other parts of life, Wobblies share their experiences and educate each other about many topics: workers’ rights, labour laws, ways to fight against injustice, how to organise their workplace, working class history etc.
Organization
All this knowledge is used to organise more effectively against the forces of the employing class, against the employer, the manager, the landlord, the cop, the government. They have every interest to keep workers down, and they cannot be convinced to part with their wealth through dialogue and mere words; direct industrial action is needed.
Learn more about direct action!