Rochester IWW

What is the IWW? 

The Industrial Workers of the World  (the IWW)  is a rank and file run, international union for all workers, dedicated to organizing both on and off the job, in our industries and our communities. We are not affiliated with any political party. 

We organize the worker and the job, meaning that, unlike most unions, you carry your membership with you no matter what job you have, including if you are unemployed. Because we are a democratic, member run union, decisions about what issues to address and what tactics to pursue are made by the workers directly involved. Our dues are lower than

any other union, and the members democratically decide how dues money is spent.  We believe in the power of rank and file direct action, shop floor organization and class solidarity, both to win better economic conditions and to build a world without bosses. Additionally, the IWW is based on two guiding principles, “the one big union” and “industrial unionism.”

The One Big Union is the idea that the entire working class must be united to act in our interests as a class and against capitalism. The united working class must be intersectional in that it must cross geographic, cultural, and industrial boundaries as well as work through the divisions of race, sex, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, ability, and age.

While we do different kinds of work, we have the same basic role in the economy: we’re the people who make our society run but who have no power over how it is run. We recognize that unionism is not about government certification or employer recognition, but about rank and file workers coming together around common interests. 

Because of this, we have often stood out for organizing workers that the “business style” unions are either unwilling or unable to organize. By joining into One Big Union we make it possible to shut down not only one shop, but an entire supply chain, or even an economy in order to organize as a class, take possession of the means of production, and abolish the wage system.

Industrial Unionism is the idea that we need to build labor organizations connected to each other logically based on the way that the modern economy runs. Industrial Unionism is understanding how we carry out our principles in action. By organizing unions in this way, we can strengthen our power across connected industrial chains. 

Organizing along the supply chain amplifies our power: a union of agricultural workers, food processing workers, truckers, and fast food workers in one chain has more power against the employer or employers on that chain than organizing all the fast food workers in one city.  While One Big Unionism is a set of principles that guides our work, Industrial Unionism gives us practical suggestions about how to implement ideas and win.

Who Does the IWW Organize? 

We organize ​ all workers. Since the beginning, we have organized across the artificial lines of race, ethnicity, sex, gender, sexuality, ability, language, nationality, and legal status. Immigrants of varying legal status, people of color, and women all played essential roles in the IWW’s founding and beyond.

The IWW organizes workers without limits. Low wage, high turnover, precarious, non-traditional, and unpaid workers and industries which have largely been ignored by “business unions” have often been the focus of IWW organizing. Migrant and seasonal workers, domestic workers, sex workers, students, and unemployed workers have organized and won under the banner of the IWW.

For those who are temporarily out of work, unable to work, or severely unemployed, the IWW offers sub-minimum dues of only $6.00 a month; incarcerated workers are exempt from dues, and all members’ dues are determined directly by their income.

Regardless of what dues rate a Wobbly pays, they hold equal membership and decision making status and benefit from the lowest dues of any union. Our low and income-based dues mean that any worker can join and maintain membership in the IWW regardless of age, ability, skill level, or financial situation.

Women and members of the LGBTQ+ community have a prominent role within the IWW’s history and the IWW prioritizes the fight against patriarchy and homophobia alongside the fight against capitalism in order to stand true to the principle of “an injury to one is an injury to all.” 

The IWW strives to provide working parents, who might otherwise be unable to attend union functions, with childcare. The lWW maintains the Sato Fund, a standing fund available to cover travel costs and other necessary accommodations for fellow workers who identify as cisgender women, transgender women and men, gender non-conforming, and/or non-binary. The Sato Fund exists in order to ensure these fellow workers can attend trainings, organizing summits, conventions, and other IWW functions at rates matching their white, male, and cisgender fellow workers. 

All members who qualify to receive this funding are highly encouraged to take advantage of this resource and to make sure their voices are always heard. The Gender Equity Committee, a standing committee of the IWW, also exists to support the fight against patriarchy and heteronormativity within and without the union.

The IWW is also unique in its support and organization of incarcerated workers. Historically, the General Defense Committee (GDC) has served as a vehicle for Wobblies to provide solidarity to our fellow workers beyond bars. 

The GDC’s slogan reads “while you are in there for us, we are out here for you” and this IWW body provides literature, organizing material, and funds to prisoners of the class war. 

In 2013, the IWW established the first union for such fellow workers, the Incarcerated Workers’ Organizing Committee (IWOC), which aims to move beyond providing solidarity and to actively organize workers behind bars for higher wages, safer conditions, necessary amenities, and a world without prisons.

Joining the North American IWW online is Simple:

• Create a login on redcard.iww.org.
• Fill out the membership application and pay your initiation as well as first month’s dues on redcard.iww.org.

** If you are not located in North America, please visit www.iww.org/branches to find your nearest Regional Organizing Committee or Regional Administration to join through them!

New memberships are processed in 7 day blocks throughout the month. Once you have completed all three steps listed above a new member packet will be mailed to the address you provide in your application.

Once you are a member, you’ll be able to participate in members only events, access our members only section of redcard.iww.org, and you’ll be standing in solidarity with working people all over the world as we fight together for our rights.

When you apply online, you are considered an ‘at-large’ member.  If you would like to join a local branch, you can do so by contacting them and inquiring here: www.iww.org/branches.