Really useful framing, seems like you’ve coined a phrase that really captures the lessons of this moment. So glad you’re able to squeeze in the Mercedes drive before the book goes to print and highlight the uniqueness of the drive in that plant. Can’t wait to read more!
This is not new. It is reinventing how the Industrial Workers of the World, IWW, or Wobblies organized. They grew to be powerful from their beginning in 1905 until essentially killed by illegal roundups by the US government during the Red Scare of 1919-20.
I agree the spirit and practice of it is similar to the IWW, but the recent drives do generally leverage some staff (unlike the IWW) and they leverage digital tools, which pretty significantly changes organizing dynamics (workers guiding workers anywhere in the country, mass online organizing trainings, etc.),
Agree with everything you said. i brought up the IWW because there is so much historical amnesia, especially when it comes to the Left, in the USA, The Wobblies are the spiritual forerunners of today's worker to worker organizing, especially the way it is happening at Starbucks. IMO, if the IWW had survived as more than a tiny shell, they would absolutely embrace online organizing tools.
Part of why IWW was easy to destroy was they did not believe in contracts and depended on worker militancy ;to preserve wins from the owners, Those who want to know more can go to iww,com.
I especially recommend the "Big Red Songbook." Wobblies have been singing great working class songs since they were founded in 1905. Joe Hill was perhaps the best of singer-songwriter-workers of the IWW until he was murdered in 1915 by the state of Utah. Pie in the sky comes from his song, "The Preacher and the Slave." "You'll get pie in the sky when you die."
Really useful framing, seems like you’ve coined a phrase that really captures the lessons of this moment. So glad you’re able to squeeze in the Mercedes drive before the book goes to print and highlight the uniqueness of the drive in that plant. Can’t wait to read more!
Thanks Dana, nice getting to chat briefly in Chicago!
This is not new. It is reinventing how the Industrial Workers of the World, IWW, or Wobblies organized. They grew to be powerful from their beginning in 1905 until essentially killed by illegal roundups by the US government during the Red Scare of 1919-20.
To clarify, IWW had no paid staff. They depended completely on worker self-organizing. Obviously without the tools of the internet and social media.
I agree the spirit and practice of it is similar to the IWW, but the recent drives do generally leverage some staff (unlike the IWW) and they leverage digital tools, which pretty significantly changes organizing dynamics (workers guiding workers anywhere in the country, mass online organizing trainings, etc.),
Agree with everything you said. i brought up the IWW because there is so much historical amnesia, especially when it comes to the Left, in the USA, The Wobblies are the spiritual forerunners of today's worker to worker organizing, especially the way it is happening at Starbucks. IMO, if the IWW had survived as more than a tiny shell, they would absolutely embrace online organizing tools.
Part of why IWW was easy to destroy was they did not believe in contracts and depended on worker militancy ;to preserve wins from the owners, Those who want to know more can go to iww,com.
I especially recommend the "Big Red Songbook." Wobblies have been singing great working class songs since they were founded in 1905. Joe Hill was perhaps the best of singer-songwriter-workers of the IWW until he was murdered in 1915 by the state of Utah. Pie in the sky comes from his song, "The Preacher and the Slave." "You'll get pie in the sky when you die."