-
8/4/2019 2010OBU
1/12
INDUSTRIALW
OR
KERS
OF
THE
W
ORLD
ONE
BIGUN
ION
O
NE
BIG
UN
ION
INDUSTRIA
LWORKERS
OF
THEW
ORLD
PreambletotheConstitutionofthe
IndustrialWorkersoftheWorld
Theworkingclassandtheemployingclasshavenothingincom
mon.There
canbenopeacesolong
ashungerandwantarefoundamongmillionsofthe
workingpeople,andthe
few,whomakeuptheemployingclass,
haveallthe
goodthingsoflife.
Betweenthesetwoclassesastrugglemustgoonuntilthewo
rkersofthe
worldorganizeasaclass
,takepossessionofthemeansofproduction,abolish
thewagesystem,andliveinharmonywiththeearth.
Wefindthatthecent
eringofthemanagementofindustriesintofewerand
fewerhandsmakesthetradeunionsunabletocopewiththeever-gro
wingpower
oftheemployingclass.T
hetradeunionsfosterastateofaffairsw
hichallows
onesetofworkerstobep
ittedagainstanothersetofworkersinthe
sameindus-
try,therebyhelpingdefeatoneanotherinwagewars.Moreover,thetradeunions
aidtheemployingclasstomisleadtheworkersintothebeliefthattheworking
classhaveinterestsincommonwiththeiremployers.
Theseconditionscan
bechangedandtheinterestoftheworkingclassup-
heldonlybyanorganiza
tionformedinsuchawaythatallitsmem
bersinany
oneindustry,orinallindustriesifnecessary,ceaseworkwheneve
rastrikeor
lockoutisoninanydepa
rtmentthereof,thusmakinganinjurytooneaninjury
toall.
Insteadoftheconservativemotto,Afairdayswageforafairdayswork,
wemustinscribeonourbannertherevolutionarywatchword,Abo
litionofthe
wagesystem.
Itisthehistoricmissionoftheworkingclasstodoawaywith
capitalism.
Thearmyofproduction
mustbeorganized,notonlyfortheeverydaystruggle
withcapitalists,butalsotocarryonproductionwhencapitalismsha
llhavebeen
overthrown.Byorganizin
gindustriallyweareformingthestructureofthenew
societywithintheshelloftheold.
Ifyouagreewiththeideasex
pressedinthisbooklet,
that
theproblemsfaced
bytheworkingclasscanberesolv
edonly
throughtheorganizationanddirectactionofworkers
in
solidarity,thentak
ethenextlogicalstepandjointhe
IWW.
IfthereisnoIWWofficein
yourarea,noranIWWdelegateon
youjob,contactus
at:
IndustrialWorkersoftheWorld
POBox
13476Philadelphia,PA19101
e-mail:gh
[email protected]
23085Cincinnati,OH
452233085,US
A
Industrial
Work
ers
of
theW
orld
POB
ox2
3
085,Cin
cinn
ati,OH4
522
3-3
085,US
A
e-m
ail:
gh
[email protected]
Indu
strialWorkersoftheWorld
P.O.Box
180195Chicago,Illinois60618
77
[email protected]
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8/4/2019 2010OBU
2/12
INDUSTRIALW
OR
KERS
OF
THE
W
ORLD
ONE
BIGUN
ION
2
23
be
verages,andtobaccoproducts.
Leath
erWorkersIU470:Allworkersintan-
ne
riesandfactories
producin
gleather
go
ods,lu
ggage,boots,andshoes.
Glass
andPotteryWorkersIU480:Allwork-
ersproducingglass,chinaware,pottery,tile
an
dbricks.
Pulp
andPaperMillWorkersIU490:All
workersin
pulpandpapermillsengaged
in
makin
gpulp,paperandpapercontain-
ers.
DEP
ARTMENTOF
TRA
NSPORTATIONAND
COM
MUNICATIONNo.500
Marin
eTransportWorkersIU510:Allwork-
ersengagedinmarinetransportation.All
workersondocksandinterminals.
Railro
adWorkersIU520:Allworkersengaged
in
longdistancerailwayfreightandpas-
sengertransportation.Allworkersinlo-
co
motive,car,andrepairshops.Allwork-
ersinandaroundpassengerandfreightter-
minals.
MotorTransportWorkersIU530:Allwork-
ersengagedinhaulin
gfreightandpassen-
ge
rsbytruck,bus,andcab.Allworkersin
an
daroundmotorfreightsheds,andbus
pa
ssengerstations.
MunicipalTransportationWorkersIU540:All
workersengagedinmunicipal,shortdis-
tancetransportationservice.
AirTransportWorkersIU550:Allworkers
em
ployedinairserviceandmaintenance.
Communications,Telecommunications,and
ComputerWorkersIU560:Allworkers
en
gagedintelephone,telegraph,radio,
television,satellitecommunicationand
co
mputeroperations,includin
gpro
gram-
mingandnetworkin
g.
D
EPARTMENTOFPUBLIC
S
ERVICENo.600
H
ealthServiceWorkersIU610:Allworkers
emplo
yedinhospitalsandhealthrestora-
tionservices.
E
ducationalWorkersIU620:Allworkersin
educationalinstitutions.
R
ecreationalWorkersIU630:Allworkersin
play
groundsandplacesofamusementand
recreation.All
professionalentertainers.
R
estaurant,Hotel,andBuildin
gServiceWork-
ersIU640:Allworkersinfacilitiesfor
pub-
licaccommodation.Allbuildin
gservice
workers.
G
eneral,Legal,PublicInterestandFinancial
OfficeWorkersIU650:Allworkersen-
gagedinGeneral,Legal,PublicInterest,
andFinancialOfficesandinstitutionsthat
donotdirectlyinvolveanyotherindustry.
G
eneralDistributionWorkersIU660:All
workersin
generaldistributionfacilities,
wholesaleandretail.
M
unicipalandUtilityServiceWorkersIU670:
Allworkersengagedinthetransmission,
supply,andmaintenanceof
gas,electric,
water,andsewerservices.Allworkersen-
gagedinthecollectionandrefinin
gofdis-
posable,salvageable,andrecyclablemate-
rials.Allworkersengagedinthemainte-
nanceofcemeteries,parks,streets,and
highways.
H
ouseholdServiceWorkersIU680:Allwork-
ersengagedin
performin
gservicesinthe
home.
S
exTradeWorkersIU690:Allworkersem-
plo
yedasdancersandmodels,telephone
sexworkers,actorsandotherworkerswho
usesexualityastheprimarytooloftheir
trade(excludin
gallagentsofthebossclass
abletohireorfire,or
possessingequiva-
lentcoerciveor
punitivepower).
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8/4/2019 2010OBU
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INDUSTRIALW
OR
KERS
OF
THE
W
ORLD
ONE
BIGUN
ION
3
OneBi
gUnion
INDUSTRIALWORKERSOF
THEWORLD
EIGHTHREVISED
EDITIO
N
2001
22
DEPARTMENTOFAGRI
CULTURE
ANDFISHERIESNo.100
AgriculturalWorkersIU110:A
llworkerson
farms,ranches,orchards,andplantations.
LumberWorkersIU120:Allw
orkersinfor-
ests.Allworkersengagedinloggingop-
erations,insawandshingle
mills,andin
preparingwoodforfueland
manufactur-
ingpurposes.Barkandsapc
ollection.
FisheryWorkersIU130:Allworkersinfish-
ingpursuitsonoceans,lakesandrivers.
Oysterandclambedkeepers
.Workersen-
gagedincollectingpearls,corals,and
sponges.Workersinfishhatcheries.
FloricultureWorkersIU140:A
llworkersin
nurseries,flowergardens,gr
een-andhot-
houses.Cultivationofsilk.D
istributionof
floralproducts.
DEPARTMENTOFMINI
NGAND
MINERALSNo.200
MetalMineWorkersIU210:Allworkersen-
gagedinminingallmetalsandminerals.
Allworkersinrefineries,sm
elters,mills,
andotherreductionworks.Allworkersin
stoneandotherquarries.
CoalMineWorkersIU220:Allworkersen-
gagedincoalminingandth
eproduction
ofcokeandbriquets.
Oil,Gas,andGeothermalWorke
rsIU230:All
workersengagedinoil,gas,andgeother-
malfieldsfields,refineriesandprocessing
facilities.Allworkersengage
dindistribu-
tionoftheproducts.
DEPARTMENTOFGENE
RAL
CONSTRUCTIONNo.30
0
GeneralConstructionWorkers
IU310:All
workersengagedinconstruc
tionofdocks,
railroads,highways,streets,
bridges,sew-
ers,subways,tunnels,canals,viaducts,ir-
rigationcanalsandpipe
lines.
ShipBuildersIU320:Allw
orkersengagedin
buildingandrepairing
ships,boats,and
smallharborcraft.Alld
rydockworkers.
BuildingConstructionWorkersIU330:All
workersengagedinerectionandconstruc-
tionofhousesandbuild
ings,andindeliv-
eryofmaterials.
DEPARTMENTOF
MANUFACTURE&G
ENERAL
PRODUCTIONNo.4
00
TextileandClothingWorkersIU410:All
workersengagedinproducingclothfrom
naturalorsyntheticfibers.Allworkersen-
gagedinmanufacturing
wearingapparel.
FurnitureWorkersIU420
:Allworkersin
planingmillsandfurniturefactories.All
workersengagedinproducingwooden
containers.
ChemicalWorkersIU430
:allworkersen-
gagedinproducingdru
gs,paint,rubber,
explosives,medicines,chemicals,plastics,
syntheticfibers,ando
therchemically-
basedproducts.
MetalandMachineryWorkersIU440:All
workersinblastfurnace
s,steelmills,alu-
minumplants,etc.Allw
orkersengagedin
theproduction,repairormaintenanceof
agriculturalmachinery,cars,locomotives,
engines,automobiles,bicycles,aircraft,
andvariousinstruments.Toolmakers,jew-
elryandwatchmakers.
PrintingandPublishingH
ouseWorkersIU
450:Allworkersenga
gedinproducing
printedmatter.
FoodstuffWorkersIU460:Allworkersex-
ceptagriculturalandfis
heryworkers,en-
gagedinproducingand
processingfood,
ListofIndustrialUnions
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8/4/2019 2010OBU
4/12
INDUSTRIALW
OR
KERS
OF
THE
W
ORLD
ONE
BIGUN
ION
4
2001IND
USTRIAL
WORKER
SOFTHE
WORLD
ALLRIGHT
SRESER
VED
ISBN:0-917124-09-X
PUBLISHEDBY:
IND
USTRIAL
WORKER
SOFTHE
WORLD
21
8.W
hatToDo
Asaneworldrunbyproducersforthecom
mon
goodisanaimthatshouldbeachieved
andcanbeachieved.TheI.W.W.canbuil
dthesortoflabormovementtoachievethis.
Thereisreallyonlyonebig
probleminth
eworld:aworkin
gclasstoodisorganizedto
actfo
ritsown
good.TheI.W.W.hasthesolution
tothatproblem.Itisadisgracetobepartof
theproblem;itisanhonortobepartofthesolution.Itisuptoyoutodoyour
part.
If
your
jobisunorganized,getintouchwith
theI.W.W.andwewillhelpyouandyour
fellow
workersorganize.While
youarefightingforshorterhours,higherwages,betterwork-
ingconditions,anddemocraticgrievanceproced
ures,youwillalsohavethesatisfactionof
helpin
gtobuildthegoodworldandsolvethepro
blemoflabor.
If
youarealreadyamemberofanotherunion
youcanstilltakeyour
placeintheOneBig
Unionmovement.ManymembersoftheI.W.W.belon
gtootherunionsalso.Theybelon
gto
theI.W.W.becauseotherwisetheywouldaddtot
heproblemsoftheworkin
gclassandnotto
theso
lution,andtheybelievetheI.W.W.sapproachoffersmorecom
pletesolutionsandgreater
inspiration.Andtheyareamon
gthemostmilitant
membersoftheirotherunions.TheI.W.W.s
concernforsolidarityanduniondemocracyissatisfactory
guaranteeagainstanyfearthattheir
preferencefortheI.W.W.wouldleadthemtoseek
controlofotherunionsorotherwiseseekto
disru
ptthem.
O
fitsmemberstheI.W.W.asksthattheyconti
nuetheirmembershipnomattertowhatjob
theymaygo.Itasksthattheymakethemselvesfu
llyacquaintedwithitsideasandpoliciesso
thatt
heycanbeevenmoreusefulmembers.Itasksthattheybeableandwillin
gtoexplain
these
ideastootherworkers,andthattheywatchforeverypossibleopportunityforthisunion
togro
wandtobeofmoreservicetotheirfellowworkersontheirownandotherjobs.
P.O.BOX180195
CHICAGO,IL60618
[email protected]
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8/4/2019 2010OBU
5/12
INDUSTRIALW
OR
KERS
OF
THE
W
ORLD
ONE
BIGUN
ION
5
OurPlaceinHumanProgress
1.W
hatIsIndustry,andHowDid
ItDevelop?
Industryfromconvertingrawmaterialsintothethin
gspeoplewanttoprovidin
gser-
vices
peopleneedisthecenterandfoundationofoursociallife.Thecapitalistswho
ownandcontrolthenaturalresources,andtheequipmentandfacilitiesnecessaryto
transformrawmaterialsandtoprovidetheseservices,formthemuchsmallerofthetwoclasses
insociety.Theworkers,whogatherrawmaterials,transformmaterialsintousablegoods,and
provideservicessocietyneeds,aretheother,and
muchlarger,class.
Theinterestsofthesetwoclassesareopposed
.Thisfactshapestheentiresociallifeofthe
world
.
Thebusinessorcapitalistclassiseagertostay
incontrolandkeeptheprivilegesthatcome
from
havingthatpower.Tomakethatcontrolsecure,itseekstogainorkeepcontrolofall
socialinstitutions.Itwantstowriteandadministerthelaws.Itwantstheschoolstoteach
respectandobediencetotheprivilegedfew.Itwan
tsthepress,televisionandInternettoshape
ourthoughtsandfeelin
gstoserveitsinterests.Andwhereitcannotgetridoftheorganizations
thatlaborhasbuilt,itwantstocontrolthemtoo.
Twooutstandin
gfactsthreatenthecapitalistscontrol:
1.Modernindustrialdevelopmenthasmadetheiractivitiesunnecessary.
2.Theworkin
gclassisable,onceitsod
esires,totakecontrolofindustryandthus
establishamuchmoreefficientandsatisfa
ctorysociety.
Theoriginalfunctionofthecapitalistwastoprovidefundsandmanagement.Todayman-
agem
entisthejobofspeciallytrainedmanagers,andfundsareamply
providedoutofthe
variousreservestakenfrom
profits.Thesystemof
corporateadministrationthatthecapitalists
have
builtuphasmadethemunnecessary.
Thecapitalistclasscametopowerastheresu
ltoflon
gstrugglesagainstkin
gsandfeudal
landowners.Kin
gsandfeudallandownersrantheworldbasedonaagriculturalsocialsystem
wheretheownershipoflandwasthebasisof
pow
er.
W
iththehelpofthecommon
peoplewhodid
thefighting,capitalistswonthefightagainst
feuda
lismbecausenewinventions,procedures,an
ddiscoverieshadmadefeudalismoutdated.
Theparliamentarybodiesthathadbeencreated
toraisefundsforthefeudalorderhadalso
establishedamoreefficientsystemofgovernment,andhadmadekin
gsandlordsasobsoleteas
20
7.DirectAction
Thedirectcontrolofour
unionbusinessisreflectedinthedirectactiononthejobfor
whichtheI.W.W.isfamous.ManyyearsagotheI.W.W.moderniz
edthewestcoast
lumberindustryintheUnitedStatesandCanada.Ourmembersestablishedtheeight-
hourdaybyblowin
gtheirownwhistleattheendofeighthoursandquittin
g
worktheninstead
ofcarryingonfortheadditionaltwoorfourhoursthebossesexpected.Somecrewswerefired,
butthenextcrewhiredblewtheirownwhistletoo,untiltheeight-hourdaybecameestab-
lishedpractice.(Lateralawwaspassed.)
Theoldpracticehadbeentosleepindouble-deck,muzzle-loadin
gbunksandforworkers
tocarr
ytheirownblanketswhenlookin
gforwork.I.W.W.-organized
lumbe
rjacksmadebonfiresofthebunksandthe
beddin
g,andtold
thecompaniesthatthereafteriftheywantedmentheywouldhaveto
provid
edecentcots,mattresses,andcleansheetsa
ndblankets.
Lo
ngstrikesmay,attimes,beunavoidable;but
asfarasitcanthe
I.W.W.avoidsthem.Wepreferaseriesofshortstrik
estimedtodothe
mostgood;togetthesameresultsorbetteratles
scosttous.Wh
y
walko
utbecausethecompanyrefusestogetrid
ofanunsafefore-
man?Whynothavetheworkersunderhimelect
oneofthemselves
whose
judgmenttheytrusttobestdirectthework,thuscarryingout
theinstructionsoftheirowninstructeddelegater
atherthanthein-
structionsofthecompany-appointedforeman?
Withthebackin
goftheworkersonthejobthiscanusuallybe
done.Whywalkoutbecauseafellowworkerisfired?Itcostsusnoth-
ingandcoststhecompanyalotifwegotoworkexpressin
goursorrowfor
suchtreatmentin
thewaywework.
Thelogicofdirectactionissimpleenough.Ifwestopdoingwhatwearetoldtodoand
startdoingwhatwecollectivelydecidetodoinstead,thereisntanythin
gm
uchthatcanstop
us.TheI.W.W.expectstobuild
adecentworldinthatsimpleway.
Briefly,thesearesomeofthepoliciesthattheI.W.W.hasfoundbestinth
ewideandvaried
experienceithashadinthestrugglesofindustrysinceitwasstartedin
1905.Outofthe
experienceofthemanygoodm
emberswhohavebuiltandmaintainedtheI
.W.W.,itisableto
offertheworkin
gclassarationalplanofindustrialorganization,asetof
trustworthyprin-
ciples,abodyofpolicyandm
ethod,ofstrategyandtacticsthatassuresuccess.Itassures
successnotonlyintheordinarystruggleforbetterwagesandworkin
gcond
itions,butalsoin
thestruggletoestablishasanesocialorder.
AtanI.W.W.-organizedtextilestrikeinLawrence,Mass.,someofthewomenstrikerspick-
etedwithabannersayingWewantbreadandrosestoo.WhentheI.W.W.saysitwantsmore
ofthegoodthin
gsinlife,were
notjusttalkin
gaboutgettingthebossestoc
omeupwithabit
morecashwewantabetterlifehereandnow,thenewsocietyintheshe
lloftheold.
Ifwestopdoing
whatwearetold
todoandstart
doingwhatwe
collectivelydecide
todoinstead,
thereisnt
anythingmuch
thatcanstopus.
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INDUSTRIALW
OR
KERS
OF
THE
W
ORLD
ONE
BIGUN
ION
6capitalistsaretoday.
Historicvoyagesanddiscov
eries,improvementsinnavigation,andthen
ewfactorysystem
hadallmadetheownershipofwarehouses,shipsandequipmentmoreim
portantthanthe
ownershipofland.Thebasisofsocietyhadshiftedfromthefarmtothefacto
ry,andthecontrol
ofsocietyhadshiftedtothosew
hocontrolindustry.
2.RevolutionaryProgress
Theconservativesoffeudaltimeswarnedthattheadvanceofcapitalismwouldbethe
endofcivilization.The
ywerewrong,andforallitsflaws,capitalismwasastepfor-
ward.Whateverofthe
oldorderwasserviceabletothenewwaske
ptandcultivated.
Whatwasdestroyedwasaspectsoffeudalismsrulethatobstructedprogress.
Undercapitalism,invention
andindustryflourishedasneverbefore.Ou
rwaysofproduc-
ingandlivinghavechangedfasterinthelasttwohundredyearsthanin
theprevioustwo
thous
and.Eachworkerscapacitytoproduceisatleastahundred
times
whatitwaswhencapitalismfirsttookove
rfromfeudalism.
Howe
ver,becauseourstandardoflivinghasnotkeptpacewithin-
vention,andcannotkeeppacewithitaslongas
capitalistscontrol
indus
try,thepossibilitiesofabundanceandleisurearewastedinar-
tificia
llycreatedshortages,depressionsandwars.
M
oderneconomicdevelopmenthasnotonlymadetheactivities
ofthe
fewwhocontrolindustryunnecessary,itha
salsoreducedthe
numb
erofpeopleinthecapitalistclass.Thegrowthoflargecorpora-
tionsrequireseithertheclosingofalargenumberoflittlebusinesses
ortheirabsorptionassubsidiariesoflargercorp
orateconglomer-
ates.Attheapexofthiseconomicpyramidsitthefew,thewealthyand
thepowerful.Theyareanolig
archywhoexercisenearlyunaccountableauthorityoverthe
economicfunctioningofthewo
rld,andpursuetheirprivateinterestsattheexpenseofthevast
majorityofhumanity,andoften
attheexpenseoftheveryecologicalvitality
oftheearthwhich
sustainsusall.
Inthefaceoflittleorganizedresistance,capitalistsgreedknowsfewlim
its.IntheUnited
States,recentstatisticsfromth
eU.S.CensusBureaushowthatonefifth
ofthepopulation
receivesnearlyhalfofallaggregateincomegeneratedeachyear.Between1
989and1996the
wealthiestfivepercentofthepo
pulationintheUnitedStatesexperienceda
tenpercentrisein
annualincomewhileeightypercentofthepopulationlostground.Therichhavegottenricher
whileworkingpeoplesincomeshavestagnatedordeclined.
Incountriesotherthanthe
UnitedStates,thecontrollingcliqueisoftenaconsiderably
smallerproportionofthepopulation.Capitalistsofeverycountrycoordinatetheiractivitiesto
extractthegreatestprofitfromthelaborofworkingpeopleeverywhere.
Throughcartelsandmultin
ationalcorporations,ahandfulofpeopleplanandcontrolthe
Throughcartels
andmultinational
corporations,a
handfulofpeople
planandcontrol
theeconomiclife
oftheworld.
19
highuniondues,closedbooks,racial,religious,o
rpoliticaldiscrimination.Whatisneededis
OneBigUnionofallworkersnomatterwhattheirlanguage,whattheirbeliefs,orwhatthe
color
oftheirskinmaybe.Intheunionallaree
qualbecauseweareallequallyusedbythe
same
system.Whatthemajoritydecidesaboutanyindustrialquestionisthedecisionbywhich
allmustabide.Forthatreasonitisoutofordertoattempttoreachdecisionsaboutquestions
notrelatedtoindustry.
6.E
fficientUnionism
Theprinciplesunderlyingthesepoliciesarethoseofsolidarityanddemocracywithin
theunion.Anotheraspectofthesametwoprinciplesiseffectivenessandefficiency.
Oureffectivenessisachievedbyourunitedstrength.Itismea-
sured
solelybywhatwecando.Ourefficiency
ismeasuredbythe
relationofourgainstothecostofthosegains,whe
therintime,money,
troub
le,ortheothersacrificesthatlabormustoftenmake.Tosmasha
flywithasledgehammerisnodoubteffective,butitishardlyeffi-
cient.Wewantmaximumgainsatminimumcost.
ThattheI.W.W.isefficientiswellattestedto
bythefactthatde-
spite
itsrelativelysmallnumbersithasmadedis
proportionategains
forla
bor.Itsefficiencyisachievedbyitsdemocracy,itsrank-and-file
contr
ol.Thereisamyththatdemocracymakesforinefficiency.Union
experiencedisprovesthatmyth.
In
thefirstplace,togettheresultswewant,wehavetoaimat
those
results.Toletthedirectionoftheunionbe
inotherhandsthan
those
ofthememberswouldbeliketryingtocho
pwoodwithsome-
onee
lseholdingtheaxehandle.
In
thesecondplace,themoremembershave
tosayaboutunion
matte
rs,andthemoredirectlyweattendtounion
businessourselves,
thegreateristheunionssourceofstrength.Wedonotwinourfights
justb
ypayingduesintoauniontreasury.Moneycanonlypayforthe
facilitiesoftheunion.Whatmakestheuniongo
istheeffortanden-
thusiasmofitsmemberssomethingthatcannotbebought.
It
isthisdirectparticipationintheunionbusiness,andthesystemofmanagingthatbusi-
nessbyelecteduniondelegatesonthejobandjob
committeesratherthanbyfull-timeofficials
orbu
sinessagents,thatdevelopstheabilitiesofth
emembers.ItmakestheI.W.W.aforcewith
whichwecanorganizeourownfuture.
A
ndthird,itistheorganizedself-relianceorautonomyofthecomponentpartsofthe
I.W.W
.thatgoeswiththiscontrol,thatenablesustohandleproblemsinthemostconvenient
andleastcostlyway.Thisunionisbuiltlikethehand,eachjointofwhichcanmoveseparately,
butallpartsofwhichcanbebroughtinstantlyintoaneffectiveclenchedfist.
La
borcanexert
anypressure
requiredto
restraintheantics
ofpoliticiansan
d
evenmorecon-
structively
accomplish
throughdirect
actionwhatw
e
haveoftenfaile
d
todothroug
h
politicallobbying.
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INDUSTRIALW
OR
KERS
OF
THE
W
ORLD
ONE
BIGUN
ION
7
economiclifeoftheentireworld.Accordin
gtoth
eUnitedNationsHumanDevelopmentRe-
port(1999),theworlds200richestpeoplemore
thandoubledtheirnetworthbetween1994
and1
998tomorethanonetrilliondollars.That
wasmorethanthecombinedincomeof41
perce
ntoftheworlds
people.
In
1999theassetsofthetopthreebillionaires
weremorethanthecombinedgrossnational
productofalltheleastdevelopednationsandt
heir600million
people.Nearly1.3billion
peoplelivedonlessthanadollaraday,andclosetoonebillioncouldnotmeettheirdaily
consumptionrequirements.
Thehandfulofpeoplewhocontroltheworldsresourceshavemanyservants,butfew
friends.Onlythesefewwouldhavetheirprivileg
esdecreasedifthecontrolofindustrywere
taken
outoftheirhands.Therestofuswouldbe
muchbetteroff.
3.W
hoShouldControl?
Sincetheriseofcapitalism,theworkin
gclasshasgrowninmanyways.Ithasgrownin
numbersuntilitincludesalmosteveryb
ody.Ithasgrowninknowled
geandability.
Theworkeroftodayhastounderstand
andbeabletodothin
gsthatwouldhave
baffle
dtheengineerandscientistofacenturyago.Inplaceofaclassofilliterateserfs,wearea
workingclassabletoreadandwrite.Wehavean
extensiveliteratureofourown.Wediscuss
thenewsoftheworlddaily.Wehavealsogrowninorganized
power.
Everysteptheworkin
gclasshastakeninbuildingunityandsolidarityhasbeenatrespass
onwhatwaspreviouslythecomplete,exclusivecon
trolofownersofindustry.Wheneverworkers
fough
ttoreducethehourswewouldwork,toinc
reasethepaywewouldtake,orim
provethe
safety
andsanitaryconditionsonthejob,wehad
touniteandfighttowin.
O
rganizedworkin
gclassmovementshavebeenfou
ghtbythecapitalistclassasitsmortal
enem
y,andbythelogicofeventsthatis
precisely
whatorganizedlaborshouldbe.Everystep
forwardthatwetakestrengthensour
positionasthelogicalsuccessorofthecapitalistclassto
exerc
isecontrolofindustry.Andbecausethereis
noclassbeneathus,ourtrium
phwillmean
thefirstclasslesssocietysincecivilizationbegan,andtheendofallthehorror,cruelty,stupid-
ity,an
dinjusticethatnecessarilygowithclasssociety.
Thebigquestionfortodayandtomorrowisthis:Howisindustrytobecontrolled?
It
isnotsomuchaquestionofwhoistoown
industry.Managerialcontroliswhatcounts,
andithaslargelybecomeindependentoftheactu
alinvestors.Whoistosaywhetherindustry
istorunorstandidle?Whoistodecidewhatistobeproducedandwherethatproductisto
go?W
hoistodecidewhatservicesareprovideda
ndtowhom?Thesearetheim
portantques-
tions.
Shouldmodernindustrybecontrolledbya
handfulofbusinessmanagers?
Shoulditbeadministeredbypoliticians?
Orshoulditberunbythosewhodothewo
rk?
It
mustbeoneofthethree.Thecorporateman
agersthrou
ghtheirbanks,theircontrolover
183.Politicalorsimilarcliquesseekin
gcontroloftheuniontosubvertitsfa
cilities,resources,
orreputationtotheirownendsarepreventedbythenonpolitical
policiesthathave
beenadoptedbyourran
kstoensureourownunity.
4.NoPoliticsinThis
Union
Itissoundunionismnotto
expressapreferenceforonereligionoronepoliticalpartyor
candidateoveranother.Th
esearenotunion
questions,andmustbesettledbyeachunion
memberaccordin
gtopersonalconscience.Theunionisformedtoreachandenforce
decisionsaboutindustrialquestions.Itspowertodothiscanbedestroyedb
ythediversionof
itsresourcestopoliticalcampaigns.
Sothatalltheworkersregardlessoftheirreligiousorpoliticalpreferencemaybeunitedto
geteverypossiblebenefitoutoftheirjob,theI.W.W.mustbenonpoliticalandnonreligious.It
letsitsmembersattendtothesemattersastheypersonallyseefitandw
iththeadditional
socialconsciousness,regardfor
theirfellows,andgeneralenlightenmenttha
ttheyderivefrom
unionactivity.
Thisdoesnotmeanthatthe
I.W.W.isindifferenttothegreatsocialandec
onomic
questions
oftheday.Quitethecontrary.W
ebelievetheI.W.W.providesthepractical
solutionstothese
questions.Whentheindustryoftheworldisrunbytheworkersfortheirow
ngood,weseeno
chancefortheproblemsofunem
ployment,war,socialconflict,large-scalecrime,oranyofour
serioussocialproblemstocontinue.
Withthesortoforganizatio
ntheI.W.W.isbuildin
g,laborcanexertany
pressurerequired
torestraintheanticsofpoliticiansandevenmoreconstructivelyaccomplishthrou
ghdirect
actionwhatwehaveoftenfailedtodothrou
ghpoliticallobbyin
g.
5.JobActionandLeg
islation
Forexample,asworkersandasmembersofcommunities,wewantoilstorageandchemical
plantskepttosafeplaces,awayfromwhereweandourfellowworkerslive.Onemethod
istotrytogetlawspassed,andthentrytohavethemenforced.
Muchsimpler,muchmore
reliable,andcertainlymuchmorehelpfulindevelopin
gour
capacitytosolveourown
prob
lems,wouldbeforustorefusetobuildin
whatweconsider
unsafeplaces,andforustorefusetoworkin
plantsthatendangeranycom
munity.Lawsare
usuallybasedonactualpractic
e.Itisbestforlabortoconcernitselfwith
controllingactual
practice;thatmakesgoodlawm
akingeasyandbadlawmakin
ghard.Thelaw
makersaremind-
fulofthepowerfulonesinsociety.
OneBigUnionmakeslabor
allpowerful.Oncelaboris
properlyorganized,thelawmakers
willbedulymindfulofit.Iftheyarent,itwillnotmatter,forwhathappen
sfromthenonis
whattheorganizedworkin
gcla
ssdecidestomakehappen.
Tounitetheworkin
gclassindustrially,itisofcoursenecessarytoavoid
suchpracticesas
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8directorships,andtheirenormousinfluenceoverpublicdebatethrou
ghth
emediatheyown
seektoensuretheircompletecontrolovertheeconomiclifeoftheworld,foritdoesnotpayto
lettheworkin
gclassproducea
llthatitiscapableofproducing.Soeitherthoseincontrolof
industryallythemselveswiththoseincontrolofgovernmenttosavethemselvesfromdemoc-
racy,orthoseincontrolofgove
rnmentextendtheirregulationoverindustr
yanditsworkers,
asinthestate-controlledecono
mies.
4.IndustrialDemocr
acyWanted
TheIndustrialWorkerso
ftheWorldseenothin
ggoodinaneconomythatiscontrolled
bycorporatemanagers
orbypoliticians.Insteadtheywantindustrialdemocracy
industryrunbyitsworkersthrou
ghdirectdemocraticprocessesfre
efromhierarch
y.
Thegreatestproblemfacin
g
humankindisnotthemuch-discussedquestionofproduction
anddistribution.Itistheproblemof
power.Itneverhasbeenanditneverwillbesafetoleta
fewcontroltheaffairsofthemany.
Thedepressions,thewars,andtheotherillsofthemodernworldhavebeenpossibleonly
becausetherewasalreadyanu
nsafeconcentrationofpowerinthehands
ofthefew.What
happenedwastheresultofthewillofthesefew,notofthewillofthemany.
Undercapitalismeveryinventionthathasincreasedour
powertoproduceordestroyhas
increasedthepowerofthefewa
nddecreasedthepoweroftherestofus.Everyimprovementin
communicationhasextendedtheempireofthisminority.Andeverytimewegivemorepower
tosomeonetotryandremedytheresultin
gevils,weincreasetheproblemthatmuchfurther.
Thisholdstruewhetherweallo
wthatpowertofalltothepresentmanagersofindustry,their
friendsin
government,ortheirfriendsintheundemocraticbusinessunions.Consequentlythe
onlysafeandlo
gicalchoiceisin
dustrialdemocracyindustryrunbythosewhodothework
usingdemocraticproceduresonadailybasisfortheequalbenefitofall.
5.ItsUpToUs
Wecanrunindustry
andtherebysolvetheproblemofpower,for
allthepowerthat
runsthisworldcom
esfromourownefforts.Ourclasshasonlytostopdoingwhat
itistoldtodo,andstartdoingwhatitcollectivelydecidesto
do,todepriveits
oppositionofallthepowerthey
everhadandtoacquireforitselfallthepoweritwilleverneed.
Managementofindustryby
workersorganizedtodothejobisnotame
redream.Itisthe
historictrend.Itisthepoletow
ardwhicheveryforwardmoveoflaborhas
pointed,whether
intendedthatwayornot,butit
cannotbeachievedwithoutdeliberatelyplan
ningandorganiz-
ingforit.Ifthatjobisnotdon
e,thecountertrendwinsoutregimentationofeverythin
g
eitherbyallkindsofbusiness,b
yallkindsofgovernment,orbytheirunholyalliance,fascism.
Industrialdemocracyistheanswertomanyproblems.Itcankeepalivethedemocracythat
cannotsurvivewhenpracticed
onlyonelectionday.Itcanfreeusfromwa
ntandfear,waste
andwar.Withmodernproductionmethodsitcanenableordinarypeopletogetallthematerial
17
anoth
erun
pleasanttaxdeductionfromthepaycheck.Itmakestheunionseemmorelikean
outsidethin
g(suchasanattorney)thatwehire,ratherthanourownorganizationthatwe
participateinandcontrol.Furthermore,itinvolvesmanagementininternalunionrelation-
ships
thatarenoneofitsbusiness.
If
uniontreasurersreceiveacheckfromthecompanyforduescollectedbycheckoff,they
mightbemoreconcernedwiththegoodwillofthe
companythanthegoodwillofthemembers.
With
thatrevenuetheycouldhiretheirfriendsto
controltheunionmeetings,andkeepthem-
selvesin
powerrunnin
gtheunionasameredu
es-collectin
gagencyintheinterestsofthe
comp
anyandunionofficials.
O
ntheotherhand,wherethereisnocheckoff,thewayduesarepaidisadirectindication
ofthememberssatisfaction(orlackofit)withtheirrepresentatives.Unionofficialswhodont
want
tolistentomembers,orwhodontwanttotrytoservetheirmembersmostoftenwantthe
duescheckoff.Then,iftheydosomethin
gthemembershipdoesntlike,theyarenotfacedwith
laggingduespaymentsanddelinquentmembers.Directcollectionofduesestablishesthat
much
morecontactbetweenmembersandofficers.ForallthesereasonstheI.W.W.doesnot
accep
tthecheckoff.
In
stead,theI.W.W.hasdevisedasimpleandconvenientsystemforthecollectionofdues
byde
legatesonthejobasystemwhichis
proofagainstdishonestyinhandlin
gfundsand
which
permitsshopcommitteesandjobbranchestoknowtheunionstandin
gofeverymem-
beronthejob.Alldelegatesandofficersmustmakeareporttothebranchmeeting.Theyhave
their
accountsauditedbyacommitteeelectedat
eachmeeting.Withthis
practiceitisneces-
sarytohandlebusinesstothesatisfactionofthemembers.
N
oassessmentscanbeleviedexceptwhenapprovedbyareferendumofthosewhohaveto
paythem.
3.NoCliqueControl
Theseconstitutionalprovisionsandbusinessmethodstoguarduniondemocracyare
reinforcedbytheremovalofallmotivesthatcouldleadanycliquetoseekcontrolof
theunion.Thisisdonebytheseadditionalsafeguards:
1.Therecanbenofinancialgainincliquerule
becausethepayforofficersmustnotexceed
theaveragepayoftheworkerstheyrepresent,andefficientrecord-keepin
gandrigidly
honestaccountingareenforcedwithmonthlyaswellasannualfinancialstatements,all
audited.GeneralExpenseaccountsareforbidden.
2.Nopowersaregivenofficersexceptthose
neededtocarryouttheinstructionsofthe
members.Strikescannotbecalledorcalled
offbyofficers.Thiscanonlybedonebythe
membersconcerned.Settlementscanonly
benegotiatedbycommitteesoftheworkers
concerned.Committeemembersandunionofficialsarenotallowedtoconferwith
employersexceptinthepresenceoftheco
mmittee.
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goodstheycanuse,byworkingaboutasmuchastheywantto.
It
cangiveussecurityandfreedom,thosetw
omostdesirableends,neitherofwhichis
possiblewithouttheotherforapersondrivenbywantcannotbefree,andthepuppetis
neversecure.Itcanmakeorganizedsocietyaharm
oniouswhole,intel-
ligentlyworkingforthegoodofallforitisonlywhenallofhuman-
kind
candecidewhatistobeproducedandwhatistobecomeofthe
productthatitcanknowwhatitisdoing.
In
dustrialdemocracycanbebuiltonlybyan
organizedworking
class
thatisawareasaclassofwhatitwantsand
howtogetit,rather
than
givingdecision-makingpowertofriendsoflaborinpolitical
partiesortocontrollingcliquesandvanguardswithinitsownranks.
Workingclassorganizationmustservetwopurposes:
1.Itmustprovidethemostefficientstruc
tureforcarryingon
ourdailystruggleforbetterconditionsandbetterpay;
2.Itmustprovideacomprehensiveandfle
xiblesolutiontothe
issuesregardingtheproductionanddistrib
utionofgoodsinan
equitableandecologicallysustainablemannerbymakingpos-
sibletheefficientmanagementofmodernindustrybyorganized
labor.
Fortunately,butnotbycoincidence,thesame
typeoforganization
bestservesbothpurposes;forbyorganizingthew
aywework,sothat
wehavethesamerelationsinourunionsasweha
veintheprocessofproduction,wearelined
upto
havethemoststrategicadvantageinoureverydaystruggle,andthenecessarycoordina-
tionforassumingtheresponsibilityforindustrialproduction.
H
owtoorganizerightisthustheimmediatequestion.Itiswiththatquestionthatweare
concerned.Inorganizing,theI.W.W.lookstowar
dthefuturewewantbecausehowweorga-
nizewilldefinewhatthefuturewillbe.
Theonlysafea
nd
logicalcho
ice
isindustrial
democracy
industryrun
by
thosewho
do
theworkusing
democra
tic
proceduresona
dailybasisforthe
equalbenefit
ofall.
16
ThePrac
ticalPoliciesoftheI.W.W
.
1.UnionDemocracy
ThepurposeoftheI.W.W
.istoestablishdemocracyinoureverydaylifeonthejob,and
intheeconomyasawh
ole.Itspracticalpoliciesaredirectedtoward
thatend,andare
essentialtoitsachievement.Theyaredeterminedbytwobasicprinciples:solidarity,
anddemocracywithintheunio
n.Itisnecessarytoavoidanypracticesthat
willinterferewith
theunityofourclass,anditis
evenmorenecessarytomakesurethatthe
union,insteadof
runningitsmembers,isrunby
them.
Toleavedemocracyoutof
suchanorganizationastheI.W.W.isbuildingwouldleaveit
opentobecomingadevicefor
fascismorotherauthoritarianpoliticalgrou
ps,andatremen-
doushandicaptolabor.Autho
ritarianleadershiparoundtheworldandthroughouthistory
founditnecessarytoherdlabor
intoanorganizationverymuchofthatsort.
ThepowerofOne
BigUnionmustbewieldedbyus,notoverus.
Asprotectionagainstanycl
iquerunningthisuniontosuitthemselves,thefollowingsafe-
guardshavebeendevised:
1.Noofficeriselectedform
orethanoneyear.
2.Noofficermaybeelected
formorethanthreesuccessiveterms.
3.Allofficersareelectedby
referendum,onwhichallmemberstheyrepresentmayvote
allmembersinjobbranchesfortheofficersoftheindustrialunionbranchesthatunite
them;allmembersintheindustryforindustrialunionofficers;andallmembersofthe
I.W.W.forofficersofthe
generalorganization.
4.Allofficersaresubjectto
recallbymajorityvote.
5.Election,notappointmen
t,istheuniformpolicy.
2.NoDuesCheckof
f
Thebusinessmethodswithintheunionarefurtherassuranceofdemo
cracy.Thepower
ofthepursemustbek
eptinthehandsofthemembersinboththe
collectionofdues
andinthecontrolofex
penditures.
TheI.W.W.doesnotaccepttheduescheckoffsystem,wherethebossesactasbankersfor
theunionbytakinguniondue
soutoftheworkerswagesandhandingth
emovertounion
officials.Webelievethatthecheckoffshortcircuitsdirectcontrolbetweenunionmembersand
theirelectedrepresentatives.
Itreinforcestheidea(whic
hmanagementwouldliketofoster)thatunionduesarejust
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TheO
rganizationofIndustry
1.WhoMakesWhat?
Allindustryisinterrelated,somuchsothatitcouldbesaidthatthereisreallyonlyone
industrytheprodu
ctionofgoodsandservices.Consideryour
coatandthepro-
cessesnecessarytoits
production.Itrequirednotonlythelabora
ndmaterialsused
directlyinmakin
git,butalsothebuildin
gsandmachinerywhereitwasma
de.Itrequiredthe
productionofthematerialandthed
yes.Itrequiredthetransportationandtheplannin
gforall
thetripsforallthematerialsin
it,andforthemachineryandbuildin
gsusedinmakin
gthem.
Theworkersinvolvedinallthese
processescouldnothavespecializedin
makin
gclothand
dyesinbuildin
gfactoriesandtextilemachinery,inoperatingthisequipment,intransporting
goods,andthelike,ifotherworkershadnotspecializedinbuildin
ghouses
forthem,provid-
ingfoodforthem,andoffering
thevariousotherservicestheyneeded.Infactitisdifficultto
thinkofanythin
gtheworkers
doanywherethatdoesnothavesomeconnectionwiththe
productionofasimplecoat.
Butthisworkisnotrandom
chaos.Itissubdividedandorganizedmuch
asyourownbody
issubdividedandorganized.It
dividesfirstofallintosixmajordepartments:
1.Therawmaterialsthatca
nbegrownorraised;
2.Therawmaterialsofthemine,quarryandthelike;
3.Constructionofroadsandbuildin
gs,ships,docks,canals,etc.;
4.Manufactureofthematerialsintofood,clothin
g,tools,machinery,etc.;
5.Transportationandcomm
unication;
6.Thevariousservicesofferedbyschools,hospitals,theaters,shops,an
dpublicutilities.
Correspondin
gtothesema
jordivisionsarethesixdepartmentsinwh
ichtheindustrial
unionsaregroupedinthetable
attheendofthis
pamphlet.Theadvantages
inpracticalunion
mattersin
providin
gthesedepa
rtmentswillbepointedoutlateron.
Withinthedepartmentsare
theindustriesandtheirindustrialunions.Becauseoftheinter-
relationsthatbindallproductiveeffortstogether,itisim
possibletomarkoffthedisputed
territoryofeachindustrywithindisputableprecision.Anindustry,afterall,isasocialaggre-
gateofworkers,equipment,an
dprocessesonlysomewhatsetapartfrom
otherworkersby
theircloseinterrelations.Accordingly,thelineseparatingtheindustrialunionsshouldnotbe
thoughtofasawayofkeepin
gt
heworkersapart,butasabetterwayofkeepingthemtogether.
15
rated,thenitwillnotbeasurprisetofindthatWorkerswontsticktogether.Butifweare
organ
izedtostick,thenstickwewillandbestron
ginthefactthatwecan.
Rationalindustrialunionism,designedbyth
eI.W.W.tomeettheconditionsofmodern
industryemphasizesthesebasicrules:
1.Allworkersonthesamejob,regardlessoftrade,belonginthe
samejoborganization;
2.Allworkersinthesameindustrybelon
ginthesameindustrial
union;
3.Allmembersoftheseindustrialunionsbelongdirectlyasmem-
bersoftheOneBigUnionoftheworkin
gclass;
4.Anyworkerchangingjobsisentitledtotr
ansferfreeofcharge
totheindustrialunioncoveringthenewemploymentonce
aunionmember,alwaysaunionmember
;
5.Nopartofthelabormovementshouldacceptanyobligationto
workonmaterialsfurnishedbystrikebre
akers,ortofurnish
materialforthem,ortofilltheordersthatstrikersweresup-
posedtofill;orcrossanypicketline,oraid
inanywaytobreak
thestrikeofanygroupofworkers.
SuchistheformoforganizationtheI.W.W.offe
rstomakethework-
ingclassinvincible.Are
youwithus?
Everyunion
memberwhohas
talkedabo
ut
unionismtooth
er
workersisalltoo
familiarwiththe
complaint,A
unionisallright,
butthetrouble
is
thatworke
rs
wontstick
together.We
dontbelieve
thatcomplaint.
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2.I
ndustrialClassification
Toorganizetheworkingclassintostructurescorrespondingtothefactsofindustryis
theaimoftheI.W.W..Asasystemofclassificationforthisrationalindustrialunion-
ism,itusesadecimalmethodthatprovidesampleopportunityforanychangesand
additionsthatnewinventionsandindustrialproc
essesmaymakeadvisable.
It
ismuchlikethesystemusedbylibrariesto
numbertheirbooks,sothatnomatterwhat
book
mayeverbewrittenaboutanysubject,there
isalogicalnumbertoassignitsothatitwill
stand
initsproperrelationwithallotherbooks
everwrittenortobewrittenonthesame
subject.SimilarlythereisalogicalgroupingforeveryworkerintheOneBigUnion.
W
ithoutthecoordinationfurnishedbyOneBigUnion,itwouldbeimpossibletoprovidea
schem
eoforganizationthatwoulduniteworkerssothattheycouldtakewhateverjointaction
variousoccasionsmightrequire.Theinterweavin
gofindustrialrelationsmakesthatso.For
instance,thesteelindustryrequiresironminers,
workersinlimequar-
ries,incoalminesandcokeovensandthefueloilindustry,railway,
road,
andmarinetransportworkers,aswellastheworkersatthefur-
naces
androllingmills.Oftentheseworkersfurnishingmaterialsare
employeesofthesteelcompanies.Butforotherre
lationsitismostcon-
venienttohavethesecoalminersorganizedwithothercoalminers,these
transportationworkerswithothertransportwork
ers.
Foreffectiveworking-classsolidarityitisnecessarythatworkersbe
ablet
oplanjointlywitheithertheirfellowworke
rsintheirownindus-
tries,
orwiththeirfellowworkerstowhomtheyfurnishmaterials.Only
withthesortofindustrialunionismthataddsuptoOneBigUnionis
thisflexibilitypossible.Thelinesmarkingoffthe
industrialarenotbar-
riers;
theyareuniversaljoints.
In
thebackpartofthispublication,thereisalistofindustrialunions
currentlyusedbytheI.W.W.Inallinstancesworkersonthesamejobare
tobe
membersofthesameunion,andbyallworkersismeantallwageandsalaryearners
(exce
ptthosewhohavetheeffectiveabilitytohire
andfire),eachindustrialuniondecidingfor
itself
whoiseligibleandwhoisnot.
3.H
owEmployersOrganize
Workerscannotblindlyimitateemplo
yerorganizations,butweshouldfinditin-
structive.Employersorganizeprimarilyaspartnerships,corporations,etc.,on
anindustrialbasistotakedirectactiononthejob,torunitsoastogetthemost
outofit.Thismeansrunningussothattheygetthemostoutofus.Theyevensetupspecial
departmentstomakesuretheydorunusthatway.
W
orkershavelittleornoreasontocompeteo
rquarrelwitheachother,butweoftenfind
ourse
lvesbattlingagainsteachother.Employers
havemanyreasonstocompeteorquarrel
Theline
separat
ing
industrialunions
shouldnotbe
thoughtofa
sa
wayofkeep
ing
thework
ers
apart,buta
sa
wayofkeep
ing
themto
gether.
14TheOneBigUnionstructurefurtheravoidsdisputesaboutjurisdictionoverworkerswhose
classificationismadedoubtful
bythecomplexitiesofmodernproductionprocesses.Forin-
stance,itisdesirablethatallin
themetalminingindustrybeinoneunion.Butwefindfor
example,thatmagnesiumisobtainedbychemicalprocessesfromseawater,firstmakingmilk
ofmagnesia,thenmagnesium;t
hataluminumisobtainedbyelectrolysisfrom
theclaybauxite.
Inafederationofindustrialunionstherewouldbegroundsforargument
overwhichunion
toputthemagnesiumoraluminumworkersin.InOneBigUnionthisisofnogreatconse-
quence,andtheycanbeorganizedinwhateverwaytheyfindmostconvenient.Oragain,ifa
concernmakingageneralline
ofelectricalequipmentturnsoutradiosasasideline,allem-
ployeeswillbemetalandmachineryworkers,whileifanotherconcernspec
ializingincabinet
workofdifferenttypesalsoma
kesradios,theseradioworkerswillbeorga
nizedasfurniture
workers.
7.IndustrialDepartm
ents
Unionsinalliedindustriesconstituteindustrialdepartments.Thea
dvantagesofsuch
organizationareespeciallyobviousintheinstanceoftransportation.Railways,bus
companies,truckcom
panies,airlines,allprovidesubstitutemeth
odsoftransporta-
tion.Ifworkersinthesevariou
sindustriesareorganizedtoacttogetherw
hentheoccasion
arisesforthemtodoso,theywillhavealltheadvantagesinthestruggle.Sogreatistheirunited
powerthatitmightalmostbesaidthatthedestinyoftheworldisintheirh
ands.
Thinkhowmuchsufferinghumankindmighthavebeensavedfromiforganizedtransport
workershadrefusedtoloadorcarrygoodstoanywarringnationoranynationswhosetrans-
portworkerswouldnotfollowthesamepolicy.Itwouldhavebeenagoodinvestmenthadthe
restoforganizedlaborassessed
itselfthesmallsumeachitwouldhavetakentorepaythese
transportworkersforanywagestheylostinconsequenceofsuchapolicy.Inthiswayagreat
goodcouldbeaccomplishedwithhardshiptonone.
Orconsiderhowsimilarar
rangementscouldmakeitfoolishtohirescabsbymakingit
impossibleforscab-madegoodstobecarried.Ifweworkerssticktogetherright,wecannotbe
beatendown.
Whatisproposedhereistheorganizationoftheworkingclasssothatit
cansticktogether
ineffectivesolidarity.Everyunionmemberwhohastalkedaboutunionismt
ootherworkersis
alltoofamiliarwiththecompla
int,Aunionisallright,butthetroubleisthatworkerswont
sticktogether.Wedontbelievethatcomplaint.
Wedontbelieveitbecause
wehaveseensooftentheeffortsofworkerstosticktogether,
andseenthoseeffortsshattered
byfaultyorganizationthatstoppedthemfro
mpracticingsoli-
darity.Thingsdosubstantially
whattheyarebuilttodo;thesamestuffgoesintomakinga
typewriterorasewingmachine
,andbehavesdifferentlybecauseitisputto
getherdifferently.
Thesameworkerscanbein
aloosefederationoforganizationsformedtoservesomespe-
cialsetsofinterests,ortheycanbeinOneBigUnion.Ifaunionisdesignedtokeepussepa-
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12witheachother,yettheymanagetocooperate.Thechiefsecretforthatisthattheyorganize
specialbodiesforspecialpurpo
ses,anddontmixthesepurposesup.Forexample,theydont
splituptheirtradeassociationorfederationovertheirpoliticaldifferences.
Theyhavebuiltmanyintricatefinancialorganizations,includin
gworldwidecom
panies.
Throughtheseorganizationsth
ecapitalistsofevensupposedlyhostilenatio
nsworktogether.
Manyoftheirmostcriticalundertakin
gsdependonanunwrittenmutual
understandin
gof
theircollectiveinterest.Theym
akeithardforanyemplo
yerwhodoesno
tplayalon
gwith
them.Andtheyhavemanagedtokeeponrunnin
gtheworldeventhoughtheyhaverepeatedly
madeamessofit.
4.A
llTra
desOn
eUnion
SomewhereintheOneBigUnion
planthereisalo
gicalplaceforeverywageworker,so
thatallfellowworkers
canmosteffectivelyexercisetheirsolidarity
.
Afewnotesshould
beaddedaboutthestructureoftheOneBi
gUnion.Someof
theindustrialunionsmayappeartohavetoowideascopeforconvenience;rollin
gmills,
buildin
gtextilemachinery,and
watch-makin
gmayseemtobemorethanoneunionshould
include.Butthesystemofclassificationusedpermitsanysubdivisionwithin
theunionforthe
formationofanysectionforwh
ichtheremaybeactualpracticalreasons.Fu
rtheritshouldbe
rememberedthatalltheworke
rsoneachjobformtheirown
joborshop
branch,andinit
decideallmattersthatrelateexclusivelytothatparticular
job.
Sincesomejobsincludeac
onsiderablenumberofsubordinateactivitie
s,therulethatall
onthejobbelon
ginthesame
unionrequiresthatworkersbeindifferent
industrialunions
thantheiroccupationmightleadonetoexpect.Forinstance,inahospital,besidesnurses,
doctors,technicians,interns,etc.,therearelaundryworkers,cooks,electricians,andmany
others,allofwhomareinthe
sameindustry,andthereforeinthesamein
dustrialunionof
HealthServiceWorkers(I.U.610).
IfitwerenotfortheOneB
igUnionidea,suchindustrialorganization
mightbuildsome
handicaps.Thelaundryworker
sinhospitalsmightwanttomeetwithotherlaundryworkers
toestablishstandardconditions
inalllaundries.WithOneBigUniontowhichtheyallbelon
g,
theyhaveallthefacilitiesfordoingso,andforelectinganycommittees
tocarryouttheir
decisions.Ordrivers,iftheywo
rkforashoporafactory,belon
ginthejobu
nitandindustrial
unionoftheirfellowemplo
yees.Yettheymaywanttomeetwithotherdriverstoagreeona
common
policyinregardtoloa
ding,usinghelpers,orthelike.
OneBigUnionenablesthemtodothat,too.Inanyjobsituation,app
rentices,trainees,
skilledandunskilledworkersa
llhavemoreincommonwitheachotherth
anwiththeboss.
OneBigUnionweldsthemalltogethertofightthebosseswiththecombin
edstrengthofthe
workforce.
13
5.O
therPra
cticalA
dv
an
tages
IndustrialUnionstructureisdesignedtouniteworkersinthewaythatwillbemostcon-
venientforus.Withwhomcanwebestbargaincollectively?Withwhomarewemost
likelytogooutonstrike?Questionssucha
sthesearethepracticalonesthatdecidein
what
industrialunionanygroupofworkersshouldbeplaced.Thekitchencrewonanoilrig,
them
essdepartmentaboardship,thestaffofafac
torycanteen,alldothesamesortofworkas
thatd
onebytheemplo
yeesofarestaurant,buttheycanbargainmoreeffectivelyiftheyare
organ
izedrespectivelywithotheroilworkers,sea
men,andfactoryworkers.
In
distribution,thesecommonsenserulesmustbeapplied.Wheretheworkersinvolved
distributeonlyonecom
panysproducts,aswithm
anygasolinestations,itwillbebesttoorga-
nizewiththeworkerssupplyin
gtheproduct.Theworkersintheoilfieldsandrefinerieswill
bein
abetterbargainin
gpositioniftheycancutoffthedistributionoftheirproduct.Similarly
thebargainin
gpositionofthegasstationattendantsisbetterwiththebackin
gofthoseother
workersem
plo
yedbythesamecom
pany.Crews
onoiltankers,however,mayfinditmore
convenienttoorganizewithotherseamen,buttheywillnottouchhotoilinoilworkers
strike
s.
Butwheretherearenosuchcloserelationsw
ithproduction,distributionworkerswillbe
betterofforganizedtogether,whethertheyworkin
departmentstores,clothin
gshops,orwhat-
ever.
InalltheseinstancesitshouldbeplainthatunlessindustrialunionismaddsuptoOne
BigU
nionthelabormovementwillbehandicap
pedinprovidin
gthedifferenttypesofcoordi-
nationthatvaryingcircumstancesrequire.
O
neBigUnionisthegluethatholdstheindu
strialdepartmentstogether.Withoutitthey
wouldfallintoauseless,disorganizedconfusion.
6.O
neClassOn
eUnion
Thedivisionsbetweentheindustrialunionsmustnotbeconsideredaswallskeepin
g
workersapartbutasdevicestounitethem
moreeffectively.IntheI.W.W.allmembers
aredirectlymembersoftheI.W.W.itself.
Theydebateandvotedirectlyontheirown
indus
trialunionaffairs,butwithnovoiceorvoteontheaffairsofotherindustrialunions.
They
alsohavefreeuniversaltransferfromthein
dustrialunioncoveringtheirlast
jobtothe
indus
trialunioncoveringthejobtowhichtheym
ove.
O
urimmediate
joborganizationisthejobor
shopbranchorganizin
gtheplacewherewe
work,andonlythoseworkin
gonthatjobhavea
nyvoiceorvoteon
purely
jobissues.Each
partisresponsibleforitselfexceptthatindustrialunionsmustnotadoptrulesconflictin
gwith
thegeneralconstitution,andbranchesmustnot
adoptrulesconflictin
geitherwiththeseor
withtheb
y-lawsoftheirindustrialunion.TheI.W
.W.isnotafederationorcon
gressofindus-
trialu
nions;itisOneBigUnionoftheworkin
gclass.Theinter-relationshipsofmodernindus-
trym
akeanyotherstructureinadequateforthen
eedsoflabor.
