> The ACORN drive, which was initiated by employees internally at ACORN, and
> not by the IWW from the outside, is way old news. That was a year and a
> half ago. No one is organizing ACORN now. But since you mention it, the
> common notion that the IWW targeted ACORN as some sort of broad campaign
> is false - and ridiculous. Employees on the inside approached the IWW. It
> would have been a poor show of concern to turn these workers away from
> organizing with the IWW simply
> because they work for an non-profit. Unfortunately, these workers'
> concerns and benefits matter as well - a radical notion some seem not to
> understand.
>
> Here in Dallas I was involved in one of these struggles where workers at a
> poorly run ACORN office were fired not because they were trying to
> organize with the IWW, but because they were talking union on the job at
> all
> (they thought of going with the SIEU, too, if it matters). The day after
> their boss overheard them talking union they were fired. These workers won
> an Unfair Labor Practices charge against ACORN. And rightfully so. This
> has nothing to do with any IWW campaign, but simply with anti-union
> bosses who happen to be working for a non-profit org. For what it's worth,
> I admire ACORN's work externally and support it. But if they treat
> employees like shit, as they were, then their bosses don't get my
> sympathy.
>
> Nationally, different IWW branches are up to various projects. It varies
> city to city. The northwest has seen the most activity with something in
> the order of ten job shops and a collectivized cafe, the Red and Black
> Cafe. Mostly it's educational or solidarity work with other worker
> actions, given the relatively small number in the IWW right now, however.
> In Seattle, for example, a grocery store is in the middle of an organizing
> drive. And a Mr Gatti's pizza near Portland recently closed its doors
> after the IWW won a majority vote of workers. There's a print shop
> pressing for an NLRB election right now, etc., etc.
In short, the IWW isn't up to much unless something falls into its lap like the ACORN situation.
I'm currently an inactive member of the IWW. I think I'm like many ex-members in my dismay that the IWW doesn't think bigger. Organizing job shops that are essentially lefty and progressive stores is pretty chickenshit stuff. The IWW gained lots of members several years ago when it took on the Borders bookstore chain. This drive didn't result in anybody getting uinion recognition, but it did inspire many of us to take the IWW seriously enough to join the organization.
A local activist recently approached me about organizing his workplace. I had to refer him to the AFL-CIO because I knew that the IWW didn't have the resources to help him out.
Too bad.
Chuck0
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