I.W.W ?

[Guest]

I am new to Anarchism and I find myself particularly drawn toward Anarcho Syndicalism . I've been reading quite a bit bout Anarcho Syndicalism in the U.S.A the one organization that seems to come to the forefront is the Industrial Workers of the World .

From what I've read their seems to be some controversey as to what kind of Organisation the I.W.W really is . Some argue that the I.W.W is a true Syndicalist Union and others argue that it is a Socialist -Syndicalist Hybrid Union that only vaquely resembles what a true Syndicalist Union should be .

So I was wondering what the members of the Forum think about the I.W.W and how it stands up as a Syndicalist Union.

Also I know that Eugene V Debbs was one of the founding members of the I.W.W and is held in high regard by the I.W.W. but from what I've read theirs been some kind of tension between the SP USA and the I.W.W . Could somebody give me some background on this it would be really helpful with my research .

[Gator]

Sorry guys I made this post and forgot to log in My Bad

[Morpheus]

I regard the modern IWW to be anarcho-syndicalist, although they haven't officially declared themselves anarcho-syndicalist. When originally form the IWW was a coalition of many different groups. The Western Federation of Miners was the most important of these. Other factions included DeLeon's Marxist followers, anarchists/syndicalists and Eugene Deb's socialists you mentioned. Almost from the moment of its birth the union was torn by factional infighting. The WFM started becoming more conservative after forming the IWW and eventually pulled out. Later the WFM joined the right-wing & racist American Federation of Labor (AFL) and renamed itself the International Union of Mine, Mill and Smetlermen. This almost killed the union because the WFM basically was the majority of the union. It managed to survive, only to be riveted by another factional struggle with the DeLeonists. They wanted to make the IWW adopt their platform (which called for using Industrial Unions to launch a revolution and establish a "dictatorship of the proletariat") and become an apendage of DeLeon's Socialist Labor Party. They were unable to take over the IWW and so pulled out, forming their own fake "IWW" which died after a few years (though the SLP is still around - but basically a DeLeon worshipping cult). By 1912 or so the Socialist party had some modest electoral sucess and, as a result, a conservative faction evolved within it. The conservatives wanted to make the party "respectable" and to be more oriented towards the AFL instead of the IWW. This caused infighting within the socialist party and also between the party & the IWW. Eventually, this caused the two to go their separate ways. Later there was another internal fight after the Russian Revolution, when some members converted to Bolshevism and the American Communist Party tried to take over the IWW. This attempt was defeated, but by then the union had been decimated by government repression & factional infighting. The IWW has always been open to all workers regardless of ideology and tends to shy away from ideological labels. It's basically syndicalist because it has historically behaved as an anarcho-syndicalist union, even though it never officially declared it self that. Today it is predominantly anarchist, because it was anarchists who revived it starting in the '60s, but is still open to non-anarchists.

[Gator]

Thanks for the reply Morpheus the info has been a real help .

Sorry bout not replying to your post sooner I had the flu bug and didn't feel like messing with the PC for a couple of days .

[Joe.Mac]

The IWW is a revolutionary industrial union, and is attractive to anarcho-syndicalists, but it is not an anarcho-syndicalist organisation. Every so often the @-syndicalists try to lay claim to the OBU and have to be fought off. That's another kind of takeover bid that Morpheus forgot to mention. The IWW is open to anyone who accepts the preamble and agrees to abide by the constitution.

[jacobhaller]

except officers of another union or party, managers, etc.

[Poop]

except officers of another union or party, managers, etc.

cops

[Joe.Mac]

Yes, of course. I should have mentioned those exceptions. Thanks for that.

[Non-Sectarian Bastard!]

I made a post about this on revolutionaryleft.com

=encephalon,Feb 19 2005, 11:11 AM]

Edit: encephalon. The IWW is not anarchist, nor do they claim so. They don't take a political position, nor are they for the abolishment of the state. Although anarcho-syndicalists have had significant influence on the union.

That's strange. Thanks, I'll recheck my sources.. any suggestion as to what they'd be*possibly* classified under?

http://www.iww.org.uk/

Go to "More Info" then "Frequently Asked Questions about the IWW".

These parts answer your questions:

" * Is The IWW Connected To Any Political Party?

The IWW is a union, not a political party. We believe that economic justice must be achieved through social and economic struggle, whether it be with our boss or landlord.

The IWW has successfully resisted attempts by various ‘left’ parties to make the union a mere adjunct to their political ambitions. By refusing to endorse one party or another, the IWW has avoided the sectarian feuding that can easily destroy a group.

Nevertheless, many of the founders of the IWW were also active in socialist politics. While some IWW members consider themselves anarchists and shun all electoral activity, many of our members are active in a variety of political parties and movements. Other members are simply militant unionists who would disavow all labels. Our commitment to industrial democracy and the abolition of capitalism makes us a ‘left’ organisation more through default than design.

* What Is The Relationship Between The IWW And The State?

The institutions of government have always proven themselves to be the allies of employers and landowners, hence we do not wait for our freedom from wage-slavery to be legislated into existence.

This does not mean that we campaign for the abolition of the state, as our sole policy regarding the state is that we do not believe that it should play a role in running the economy. The responsibility for running the economy should lie in the hands of working people themselves.

* What Is The IWW’s Ultimate Goal?

Our goal is to achieve industrial democracy, where all workplaces are run democratically by the people who work in them. No longer will our lives be ruled by employers and speculators who are only interested in obtaining a profit for themselves.

Industrial democracy does not mean that the IWW itself will run industry, for industry will be run directly by the people working in it. IWW methods, tactics and ways of organising are simply the means of winning control of industry from our employers.

Democratically run industry will lead to a more just and equitable distribution of wealth. The days of workers slaving away for a minimum wage to enrich someone else will be history."

Have fun.

[SonofRage]

except officers of another union or party, managers, etc.

officers of political parties are allowed if they are non-paid officers and they receive the approval of their branch.

[JoeMac]

Recently we British IWWs had to make a decision about registering with a government body in order to be recognised as an "independent" union, i.e., not a company union. Prior to the ballot I combed through the IWW constitution to see what was said about making deals with state bodies - the answer, nothing. I'm open to correction on this point, but I didn't find one reference to the state in the constitution or in the preamble.
Is this a good thing or a bad? I'm not sure. Certainly anyone who actively opposes the capitalist system is going to come up against the force or the machinations of the state. The IWW is committed to the overthrow of capitalism, maybe the dismantling of the state will be effected in the process.

[JoeMac]

The IWW is one hundred yars old. Do you know what that means? They have invented laws to stop us organising. They have killed us. They have hanged, whipped, castrated and jailed us, They have killed our children. Can you believe that? But here we are - the Industrial Workers of the World. One hundred years later, still fighting for our class, which means ourselves. We've seen it all and we've survived it. After 100 years we are still standing. What have we got that the others haven't got? Principles, that we will never sell out. Kill us, jail us, we're still here. We are the working class and we are eternal. The rest are dispensible but we are essential, and one day we shall take what is ours, what has always been ours. We are the future.