Five facts about the IWW:

1. All members of the working class can join, except cops, prison guards, and bosses. Historically, the police have been used to repress insurgent labor organizing and their role has been to protect capital and the property of the bosses at the expense of workers. As a union, we organize incarcerated workers and recognize the inherent violence of the prison industrial complex. For that reason, we do not allow prison guards to join. Lastly, as the introduction to our preamble states, “The working class and the employing class have nothing in common,” we do not allow membership for those who have the ability to hire and fire.

2. You can be a dual-carder and be a member of more than one union. If you are currently in a job that has representation by a union, you can also join the IWW. Dual carders are often some of the most active members of their union, pushing them from below for better contracts and more democratic representation.

3. You don’t need a contract or election to be a union. A union is two or more workers, in a workplace, organizing for a set of common issues. Historically, contracts limit the ability for workers to achieve their gains which must be renegotiated only within a set timeframe. Organizing without a contract can allow you to make gains regardless of the conditions that can limit you in a contract. However, we also organize workers through contract elections if that is what they choose.

4. We are a completely democratic union. We organize under the principle of “solidarity unionism,” meaning that members on the shop floor determine what course of action to take to defend their rights and secure gains. Unlike business unionism which tends to work alongside bosses to protect both management and workers, the IWW believes that protecting the employing class, in any fashion, will harm the working class. We do not believe in class collaboration with the bosses.

5. We never endorse politicians. Period. Power comes from the bottom-up, and for 115 years the IWW has never endorsed a politician or candidate for office. Regardless of who the individual is or their stances, the IWW believes that only through organizing our workplaces can we secure the victories that politicians promise once elected.

If this sounds like the union for you, reach out to us and we’ll get you in touch with our organizers today!