Don't be fooled by the name: you don't have to wear steel-toe boots to work to join the IWW! We are a union for all workers, regardless of the type of job we work, the industry we work in, and whether or not our employers recognize our union status.
We include workers from retail to manufacturing to child care. From baristas to truckers, united and organized, we who make up the working class can win what is rightfully ours.
The IWW organizes industrially rather than by trade. These "Industrial Unions" form six Departments. Our goal is to organize all industries into One Big Union.
For effective working-class solidarity it is necessary that workers be able to plan jointly with either their fellow workers in their own industries, or with their fellow workers to whom they furnish materials.
Only with the sort of industrial unionism that adds up to One Big union is this flexibility possible. The lines marking off these industries are not meant as barriers, but rather as specialized universal joints.
Workers and their employers do not have the same interests. Workers want shorter hours, higher pay, and better benefits. The easiest way to stand up for each other in our workplaces and communities and the easiest way to improve our working conditions is to join a union.
Please take time to read these documents:
- List of Industrial Unions (what is your line of work?)
- One Big Union - PDF
- The IWW Constitution - PDF
We want you! Join the IWW and create the One Big Union of all workers. However, to join the IWW you must first meet the following conditions:
- You must be a worker (not an employer);
- You agree with the Preamble to the IWW Constitution;
- You will study the IWW's principles and make yourself acquainted with its purposes.