Industrial Worker
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(1981) “Rebel wedding” by Susan Fabrick
An article by Susan Fabrick about Frank & Jenny (Jenni) Cedervall and Detroit during the 1930s. Originally appeared in the Industrial Worker (September 1981). During the pit of the Depression, the IWW led auto strikes in Detroit at Briggs and Murray Body that helped lay the groundwork for the CIO victories later in the decade.… Continue reading
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(2014) Review: “Lines of work” shares workers’ experiences, invites us to share ours
A review by Peter Moore of Lines of Work: Stories of Jobs and Resistance. Originally appeared in the Industrial Worker (June 2014) Nappalos, Scott Nikolas, ed. Lines of Work: Stories of Jobs and Resistance. Edmonton: Black Cat Press, 2013. Paperback, 236 pages, $19.95. “Lines of Work” aims to have workers tell their own stories, and… Continue reading
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(1971) Obituary: John Neufeld
An obituary written by Charles Velsek of John Neufeld, an IWW member of almost 50 years. Originally appeared in the Industrial Worker (June 1971). John Neufeld, a member of the IWW, passed away in Chicago in April after ailing for several years. He was born in Canada and reared as a Mennonite. During his youth… Continue reading
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(1976) “Digging into IWW history: South Africa” by John Philips
A brief history of the South African Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) by John Philips. Originally appeared in the Industrial Worker (October 1976) “Sifuna Zonke ! they cried. – “We want the works!”. In that society most infamous for its racism and most implacable in its hatred of “reds”, the IWW once tried to… Continue reading
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(1996) “Black bus workers fight ‘plantation’ conditions” by Lorenzo Kom’boa Ervin
An article by Lorenzo Kom’boa Ervin about discrimination in the Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority. Originally appeared in the Industrial Worker #1589 (March 1996) Ralph Williams is a city bus driver for the Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority (CARTA) in Chattanooga, Tenn. He has worked for the bus company for almost ten years, and in… Continue reading
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(2005) “AFL-CIO splits: business unionism in crisis” by Jon Bekken
An article by Jon Bekken about the 2005 split in the AFL-CIO that eventually became the Change to Win (CtW) Federation. Originally appeared in the Industrial Worker (September 2005). The AFL-CIO suffered a devastating split as it celebrated the 50th anniversary of its founding July 25-28, with three unions representing nearly a third of its… Continue reading
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(2013) “Re-remembering the Mexican IWW” by J Pierce
An article by J Pierce on the history of the Mexican IWW. Originally appeared in the Industrial Worker (November 2013). The history we tell ourselves about the Mexican IWW is quite brief. Two events are most often repeated that carry the IWW banner: the Insurrectos that invaded Baja, Calif., and proclaimed the Tijuana Commune in… Continue reading
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(2014) “A Reader’s Response To “Nonviolent Direct Action And The Early IWW” by Lowell May (x333295)
An article by Lowell May claiming that the early IWW’s views on violence weren’t as straightforward as ‘for’ or ‘against’. Originally appeared in the Industrial Worker (March 2014). If Stephen Thornton’s article on nonviolence in the early IWW (“Nonviolent Direct Action And The Early IWW,” December 2013 Industrial Worker, page 11) was meant as an… Continue reading
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(2007) Workers Power column #6: “Goals. Strategy. Tactics” by J. Pierce
A piece by J. Pierce advocating a way of thinking about union organizing. Originally appeared in the Industrial Worker (October 2007) First, we dream up our goals. Our ultimate goals are visionary and they inspire us. Our intermediate goals are the stepping stones that create the conditions for us to achieve our vision. Then there… Continue reading
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(2013) “Nonviolent Direct Action And The Early IWW” by Stephen R. Thornton
An article by Stephen R. Thornton about what he sees as the nonviolent tradition of the early Industrial Workers of the World. Originally appeared in the Industrial Worker (December 2013). Wobbly organizer Matilda Rabinowitz took the stage to address hundreds of striking mill workers and the townspeople who came to gawk: “I apologize to the… Continue reading
About
Wobbly History is an unofficial blog focused on reposting or transcribing original writing by members of the Industrial Workers of the World from 1905-2015.
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