News - All Departments and Unions

This is the news page for all IWW Departments and Unions. This page displays *all* news items from every Department and Union. To see news only from a particular Department, click on the Department title below.

For an overview of the IWW's Union structure, please visit the Unions homepage.

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IWW stands in solidarity with Workers of Neupack Verpackungen!

Posted Sun, 01/20/2013 - 2:03pm by IWW.org Editor

Workers of Neupack Verpackungen GmbH - a German Manufacturer of wrapping materials - are on strike for better working conditions and a labor agreement. They complain about unequal and generally low wages and an arbitrary and disrespectful management style. Even though they struggle for many weeks now, the company’s proprietors show hardly any willingness to make concessions. They have hired foreign strikebreakers and attack the striking workers with disciplinary warnings, dismissals and offence reports.

The German IWW supports the workers’ cause and asks you to show them some international support as well

They have launched an e-mail campaign and prepared some pre-formulated and addressed e-mails to selected recipient’s who have a significant role in this struggle. These e-mails  are provided in English too and can be generated with a mouse click. All you had to do is to sign and send them off. You can of course change the content of the mails to personalize them if you like. It would be great if you added information from where you are writing.

The German Wobblies rely on many of you to participate for they are still small in numbers and their only strength is in their internationality. For many long weeks now, the Neupack Workers hold out in front of their factories in a grueling labor conflict. This campaign would only cost you a couple of minutes in front of your computer.

Link to english section of the campaign site: http://www.iww-hamburg.org/index.html#english

Thanks for your solidarity!
Hamburg Wobblies

Help Temp Workers Organize & Fight Back!

Posted Mon, 12/10/2012 - 6:42pm by IWW.org Editor

Donate Here! - https://www.wepay.com/xox4csn/donations/temp-worker-organizing

The continuation of high unemployment is eroding the bargaining power of the working class, and without an organization to collectively harness that power, the working class will continue to be at the will of the economy and it's architects, the employing class.

Many of the workers unable to secure permanent and/or full time employment have been increasingly turning to temporary employment agencies for relief. However, uncertain whether or not they will be chosen for work that day, many leave distraught and empty handed. Those who do find work, are paid a pittance of a wage, barely providing any sort security or stability, unsure of what tomorrow will bring.

IWW General Convention Approaches!

Posted Mon, 08/13/2012 - 9:13pm by x344543

Fellow Workers!

The annual IWW General Convention is a little more than 2 weeks away!  This annual event, set to take place this year in Portland, Oregon, Sept. 1-2, is an exciting opportunity to learn more about the structure of the union, ask questions of our administration, and meet fellow workers from all around the world.  

Voting rights at General Convention are restricted to elected branch delegates, but as an IWW member you can still attend and have voice in the sessions.  To do so, you need to register right away at our website: gencon.iww.org.  If you were already planning on attending, and/or you are an elected branch delegate to the GC, please register right now!

May 1st in the Twin Cities

Posted Wed, 05/23/2012 - 8:42pm by IWW.org Editor

By Elijah Marks - The Organizer May 16, 2012

The celebration of International Workers’ Day in the Twin Cities brought together many groups organizing around various struggles. The resurgent Occupy movement has injected new energy into the holiday.

Local organizing coalesced in an Occupy May 1st Twin Cities group, planning for a day of action around ‘no work, no school’ and a ‘day without the 99%’ For months leading up to the action, they met weekly at the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW)’s office to coordinate with other groups, plan events for the day, and make and spread posters and leaflets.

The mutual aid ethos of the wider Occupy movement was demonstrated through Occuprint, an offshoot of Occupy Wall Street in New York City, who helped with May 1st publicity in the Twin Cities—and other cities across the country—by distributing hundreds of high-quality, large-format posters and newspapers. Additionally, local designers created their own innovative designs, such as the following poster:

Another form of circulation of common media across the country was a zine with an illustrated history of May Day. During the meet-up at the beginning of the day, I found this zine to be a useful means for meeting new people and sparking conversations. Talking about this history made us feel connected with the tradition of struggle for immigrants’ and workers’ rights, such as the 8-hour workday, that most people take for granted, and seeing that nothing will be gained—and much could be lost—without continued militant struggle.

IWW International Solidarity Commission in solidarity with the CGT-Barcelona and Laura Gómez

Posted Tue, 05/22/2012 - 6:57pm by IWW.org Editor

The International Solidarity Commission of the Industrial Workers of the World condemns the actions taken by the Mossos d'Esquadra, Catalonia police. Laura Gómez, the General Secretary of CGT-Barcelona was arrested by the Mossos d'Esquadra for trumped up charges that have no basis in fact. It is obvious that this is nothing more than an act of repression and intimidation in response to the growing workers' mobilizations in Spain. We demand the immediate release of Laura Gómez and the withdrawal of all charges.

We are in solidarity with, and commend, the CGT-Barcelona, Laura Gómez, and the rest of Spain's working class for their ongoing struggle against police repression and labour injustice.

Solidarity Forever,
International Solidarity Commission
Industrial Workers of the World.