"Workers are fed up"

Chuck0 chuck at mutualaid.org
Sun Oct 13 14:40:31 PDT 2002


Dddddd0814 at aol.com wrote:
> "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."
>
> Should we ask Chuck how many shops he's organized into unions lately?
> Apparently the small shops are a piece of cake for him and he's rarin' to
> move on to "bigger" and better things....

I'm not surprised that one of the usual suspects couldn't wait any longer and decided to take a cheap potshot at me.

You don't think I understand how hard it is to organize in the workplace? It's not an easy thing to do, but you would expect an organization full of people who are interested in organizing workplaces to be doing better.

I'm simply echoing what I've heard from other IWW members. The ones I've talked to have been disappointed that the IWW, despite its increase in membership, doesn't have more representation in the workplace, like it had during the 70s and 80s. Mind you, we're talking about modest stuff, but IWW veterans understand that these shops provided a base of support for other union activities.

My point here is that if you want to succeed on a big level, you have to be willing to take some risks. The Borders campaign was a big risk with a probable outcome of failure, yet many saw that campaign as the IWW's finest hour of recent years.


> "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."
>
> Really, Chuck? I could've sworn you'd encourage them to wildcat and work to
> "split up" the union they'd want to organize with.... Really, you ought to
> think bigger....

Really, you don't understand my politics one iota!

Chuck0

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"...ironically, perhaps, the best organised dissenters in the world today are anarchists, who are busily undermining capitalism while the rest of the left is still trying to form committees."

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