IWW Members Forming a Chapter in South Texas Hold Organizer Training

By Greg Rodriguez - leftovergreg [at] yahoo.com  

McAllen, Texas -- The weekend of January 31st, and February 1st, 2009 was a historic one for the radical labor movement in general, but also for workers in the Rio Grande Valley (South Texas) looking to create democracy on the job. Industrial Workers of The World (IWW) – an international labor union known for its principles of direct action and working class empowerment – held a training for working residents of the Deep South Texas area. Young labor leaders from Laredo, McAllen, Edinburg, and Mission attended the two day event.

Space for the training was provided by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 5, which organizes local public employees, including Hidalgo County and Hidalgo County Head Start workers.

The training was independently organized by a group of local IWW members whose goal is to establish an officially chartered IWW branch in the months to come.

Attendees were able to be part of a very comprehensive and participatory educational experience. By means of role plays, brainstorms, and discussions, participants learned how to talk to their fellow workers about the union, the principles and structure of IWW, essential labor laws relevant to workplace organizing, and a number of other labor organizing nuts and bolts. Put shortly, the attendees - most of whom could be considered leaders at their work place - became labor organizers by the end of the two day session. Everyone seemed energized and excited.

"The training was really good. It really kept my interest throughout the entire weekend." said local IWW member and training participant, Sammy Zumwalt. "Now I feel positive and confident about organizing because I know the steps I need to take in order to have a successful union effort."

The training content was lead and presented by IWW members Jefferson Pierce (Pennsylvania) and Patrick Brenner (Illinois), whom are significantly involved with the IWW's national and international activity. They are part of the IWW Organizer Training Committee, which was formed in 2003 for the purposes of training workers across the United States to become radical labor organizers, grow IWW ranks, and to increase national solidarity with the broader labor movement.

Brenner had this to say about the trainings: "I think it's important to have these trainings because they give workers the confidence to improve their lives at work and improve the world as well. The McAllen training went very well and I found the burgeoning group very inspiring."


IWW and its Principles

Why does the IWW stand out from other labor unions in this country? This question can be best answered only after a deep understanding of the working class movement's various organizations and their structures. However, one can offer some insight into the major and obvious attributes that make the IWW what it is – a radical labor organization.

One fundamental difference between the IWW and the rest of the labor movement is its emphasis on member run unions in strict opposition to the capitalist class.

Since its foundation in 1905, IWW has held strong to the idea that the strength of the working class lies in its ability to control the flow of production, and that employees and employers have nothing in common; the fact that they are both human beings, not withstanding (one exploits while the other is exploited). Furthermore, the organization collectively believes that decisions concerning any work place should be made by its respective workers – not by some bureaucrat entirely disinterested from the shop floor (not to mention, the working class in general) – as is the case with most large trade unions today. IWW leaves the face of every labor action, dispute or negotiation up to the creativity and ingenuity of each individual branch. The concept is that every work group knows what is best for them, therefore should have ultimate say on what type of strategies to execute.  

IWW also believes that in order to develop a successful working class movement capable of dealing with the fundamental problems of our society, all workers - irrespective of trade, skill or industry - should be united into one big union.

"One Big Union" has been one of the IWW's slogans since its founding days - along with the more famous "An Injury to One is an Injury to All."


Moving forward in the Valley

Totally energized and boosted by the skills learned at the training, the local IWW group is ready to put their newly acquired knowledge into action. They seek to grow Valley IWW membership and play an effective role in the local labor struggle.

At a time when unions are on the decline and society finds itself in a state of economic crisis, Zumwalt says "Things will only get worse if no unions exist – this is especially true of the Rio Grande Valley, where many workers are susceptible to abuse at work. I like the IWW because they really try to involve workers in the plan for change. They have a vision that embodies democratic values and workplace democracy."