Tag: Labor Organizing
-
Emancipation of the Working Class: The Legacy of the IWW
Founded over 110 years ago on June 27, 1905, the Industrial Workers of the World, or IWW, created an iconic legacy and rich history of militant unionism in the U.S. The union was founded by radical unionists and currents within the labor movement with the purpose of building an alternative to the conservative trade unionism…
-
When and Why Did Unions Start Signing Contracts?
This piece from the Organizing Work blog explores an important but often little discussed question of the historical origins of labor contracts in the U.S. The current dominant model of formal collective bargaining agreements which include provisions against striking and job actions, also known as “workplace contractualism,” has not always been the dominant model. The…
-
Red State Revolt: An Essential But Flawed Story of the Teacher Rebellion
Review of Red State Revolt, The Teachers’ Strike Wave and Working-Class Politics by Eric Blanc on Verso Books, 2019. By Michael Mochaidean Last year’s wave of public teacher strikes and walkouts was the highest number of workers walking off the job in three decades. Whether it will be the start of a larger trend across…
-
Albert Parsons: Anarchist and Labor Martyr in His Own Words
Introduction by José Antonio Gutiérrez Dantón As a tribute to one of the most remarkable agitators in labor history, we publish on May Day the autobiography of Albert Parsons. He was one of the five Chicago Anarchists who were tried in 1886-1887 and executed in November 1887 for their role as 8-hour working-day agitators and…
-
The State of Labor: Beyond Unions, But Not Without Them
As working class and left movements the world over celebrate May 1st, International Workers Day, we offer our reflection on the current state of the U.S. labor movement – both our optimism around recent strikes and stressing the need to transform the labor movement towards its revolutionary potential. This document was produced by the Labor…
-
On Strike at Stop & Shop: Interview from the Picket Line
Starting Thursday, April 11th, 31,000 Stop & Shop grocery store workers at over 240 stores throughout New England went on strike to fight for a fair contract— what will be the largest strike in the U.S. since a 2016 walkout by Verizon workers. Stop & Shop workers are members of United Food and Commercial Workers…
-
“If You Want a General Strike, Organize Your Co-Workers” Interview with Joe Burns
The following interview with Joe Burns, author of the important labor text Reviving The Strike, takes up the evergreen questions of the role of strikes and building a base within our workplaces. With the recent wave of teacher strikes these questions are back on the radar of the U.S. left but this interview from 2012…