Industrial Workers of the World

Say it loud and say it proud.  What do we need?  A four hour day with no cut in pay. 

If real prices are going up, up, up, up, up, then real wages should at least match the prices of other commodities.  Meanwhile, we're stuck, seemingly powerless, caught in mind-traps which say, "Work harder for the bosses, get recognition and leave the others behind."  Yet, as the dust settles, we find ourselves working harder, longer hours for the same real pay (adjusted for inflation) and our standard living tanking.

No wonder the most 'type A" amongst the non-class conscious workers are feeling rage.  

Suggestion: why not put that rage into taking out a Red Card.  Show that to the bosses and get your fellow workers organised.  That'll show the bastards.

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Desk rage spoils workplace for many Americans

By Ellen Wulfhorst

Thu Jul 10, 7:13 AM ETNEW YORK (Reuters) - Get out of the way, road rage. Here comes desk  rage.

A lot of interesting articles, films and links for the class struggle over

shorter work time here.

 

http://shorterworkweek.blogspot.com/

Will is not the first conservative to believe himself an exile in hisown country. A sense of exclusion has haunted conservatism from thebeginning, when emigr's fled the French Revolution and Edmund Burkeand Joseph de Maistre took up their cause. Born in the shadow ofloss--of property, standing, memory, inheritance, a place in the sun--conservatism remains a gathering of fugitives. From Burke's lamentthat "the gallery is in the place of the house" to William F. BuckleyJr.'s claim that he and his brethren were "out of place," thecomfortable and connected have fashioned a philosophy of self-styledtruancy. One might say this fusion of pariah and power has been thekey to their success. As Buckley went on to write, the conservative'sbadge of exclusion has made him "just about the hottest thing in town."While John Locke, Alexis de Tocqueville and David Hume are sometimescited by the more genteel defenders of conservatism as the movement'sleading lights, their writings cannot account for what is truly

From Ira Steward's 1865 pamphlet (for more see http://www.archive.org/details/documentaryhisto014386mbp):

"Well," says a workingman, "I should certainly be very glad to work less hours, but I can scarcely earn enough by working ten to make myself and family com- fortable."

Here is a link to an excellent online lecture course on Marx's CAPITAL

volume one. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuck_Baldwin

Highly recommended. Bakunin was so excited about CAPITAL volume one that he wanted to tranlate it into Russian.  That he didn't quite get around to it is another matter. 

This is a book for all workers and this series of close readings will help anyone wishing to, to digest it and better grasp this, most excellent critique of the wages system.

 

Originally published bythe Seattle Joint BranchesINDUSTRIAL WORKERS OF THE WORLDSeattle, Washington, USA, North American Region 1957. 

 

#1: What is the IWW?

It is a fighting labor union that believes that the interests of labor can be fully served only when working people are united as a class. It wants to see all on the same job united, all in the same industry in one union, all who work for wages in one big union.

The IWW differs sharply from the position of other unions in that, we believe the problems of the working class can not be solved by begging crumbs from employers or praying to politicians for favors. While it fights for better conditions today, the IWW insists that working people are entitled to everything they produce, instead of a meager share.

You could live under Stalinist police-State capitalism, as opposed to the lower stage of communism. Failure to abolish the wage system, was precisely what Marx was criticising the Social Democrats of the Gotha Programme for i.e. attempting to run capitalism as opposed to overthrowing it and what he was slamming Proudhon for in his 'equality of wages" scheme, enforceable only by employing the most brutal methods of party dictatorship, and this from an anarchist.

The "real world" was what was supposed to be changed as a result of the Russian Revolution, because the "real world" was class ruled, slavish, submissive and sadistically dominated by the few who controlled the wealth produced under the wage system. The 'real (capitalist) world' was supposed to be supplanted by a free association of producers using the means of production for themselves to create use values based on their needs. It didn't happen. And a lot of the reason why it didn't happen is directly connected to the wages system, a social relation of Capital, in this case a generalised Capital as opposed to private Capital.

The IWW is a revolutionary organisation because it advocates the abolition of the current system of production--the wages system. This distinguishes us from garden variety leftist groups as we are not just asking for parts of the social product of our labour e.g. a better, more comprehensive medicare system which by-passes private, commodified sales of health insurance, we're organising for the eventual TOTAL return of the social product to the democratic control of its producers, the working class. We have a critiique of the the wages system which is based in the everyday life of the working class. Workers produce the wealth of the world using what if found in Nature and their own brain and muscle. Why is it that they have to struggle to keep their heads above water? It's the wages system. Why is it that they have virtually no political power? They're unorganised as a class. Being organised as a class would give workers the power to control the wealth they create. As long as capitalists and landlords control the lion's share of the wealth workers produce, workers insterests will take a backseat to the interests of their rulers.

Hey there agitators !

Melbourne Union Solidarity members went along to Bourke Street central melbourne event part of international cleaners day.

Multi-cultural speakers in Greek and Spanish revved up those gathered and Latin-American style percussion on inverted metal rubbish bins warmed us up as we chanted along the Mall.

Lots of leaflets were distributed to the passers-by and some stopped and joined in shouted out too as we called for justice and a "CLEAN START"

I used to work as a cleaner in 1989 in Perth Western Australia at the Children's Hospital when we were each on individual contracts renewed

Union Solidarity has issued the following request "Urgent update: Management at Preston Motors has threatened to sue striking NUW (National Union of Workers) members. Union Solidarity will not put up with this sort of intimation of ordinary rank and file members. We urge all of our supporters to attend future community assemblies. Over 30 workers working in the spare parts/stores section of Preston Motors began a strike on Tuesday, 13 March, over the company’s continued refusal to negotiate a fair wage increase" There is a community assemlby on tomorrow, Thursday the 22nd of March from 8-11am at Preston Motors; 1551 Sydney Rd, Campbellfield, Melbourne.