Industrial Workers of the World (IWW)
The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), also known as the Wobblies, is a global labor union that was founded in June 1905 in Chicago, Illinois. It was notable for being the first major labor union in the U.S. to organize workers based on industry rather than craft, which allowed it to focus on inclusive organizing efforts, particularly among newly arrived immigrant workers who were often overlooked or discriminated against by other unions. Key figures in the IWW's founding included William D. Haywood, Daniel De Leon, and Eugene V. Debs, who were united in their opposition to the American Federation of Labor's (AFL) policies.
The IWW embraced a philosophy of international worker solidarity, promoting the idea of "One Big Union" that transcended barriers of race, gender, and national origin. Throughout the early 20th century, the IWW organized strikes in various sectors, including mining and textiles, emphasizing the importance of class solidarity among diverse worker groups. The union was particularly significant in advocating for the rights of Asian workers, contrasting sharply with the practices of the AFL and other political organizations of the time.
During its peak in World War I, the IWW had over one hundred thousand members, but its influence has continued to evolve. As of 2024, the IWW maintains a presence in North America with around eight thousand members and seventy-three general membership branches, focusing on organizing among immigrants and advocating for underrepresented workers' rights across different industries.
On this Page
Industrial Workers of the World (IWW)
IDENTIFICATION: Global labor union
DATE: Founded in June, 1905
LOCATION: Chicago, Illinois
ALSO KNOWN AS: Wobblies
SIGNIFICANCE:The Industrial Workers of the World was the first large labor union in the United States to organize as an industrial union instead of according to craft. It focused a large part of its organizing efforts on newly arrived immigrant workers, whom other union organizations ignored or overtly discriminated against.
The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) was founded in Chicago in 1905 by unionists opposed to the policies of the American Federation of Labor (AFL), in particular its refusal to organize unskilled workers. Founding members included William D. “Big Bill” Haywood of the Western Federation of Miners, Daniel De Leon of the Socialist Labor Party, and Eugene V. Debs of the Socialist Party. Unlike most union and leftist political organizations in the United States during the early twentieth century, the IWW recognized the importance of organizing all workers regardless of race, gender, national origin, or craft. This realization stemmed from its philosophy of international worker solidarity as expressed in the IWW slogan, “One Big Union.” Although many of the workforces involved in IWW organizing drives were made up primarily of European immigrants, internationalist immigrant organizing was important given the separation of communities along ethnic lines.
Other unions, especially those affiliated with Samuel Gompers and the AFL, considered immigrant workers competition for what were considered “American” jobs. The IWW sought to overcome the artificial separations enforced by governmental, economic, and religious authorities in order to create a sense of common struggle. Strikes among miners and textile workers that were organized with the help of the IWW included women, children, and men of all backgrounds and were usually successful, at least in terms of creating class solidarity, based in part on the union’s opposition to the “owning classes” of all nations.
In the eastern United States, the IWW organized among textile workers (often the most exploited members of the workforce), many of whom were of southern European origin. In places such as Lawrence, Massachusetts, and other mill towns, the IWW represented multiple nationalities to create a strong, unified strike against the textile mill owners. In the western United States, the IWW was one of the first major national labor organizations to organize Asian workers. In doing so, the union stood in contrast not only to the AFL but also to radical political groups such as the Socialist Party. Asian workers were separated not only by their language differences but also by their cultural differences and appearance. Consequently, they faced both de facto and de jure discrimination and the threat of deportation. The IWW worked to defend these workers’ rights while organizing. In 1912, after Italian organizers Arturo Giovannitti and Joseph Ettor were arrested in the Lawrence strike, it was the IWW that led the campaign to free the men. The US government responded with mass deportations of immigrants associated with the union.
In its heyday during World War I, the IWW claimed more than one hundred thousand members. By 2024, the organization had eight thousand members in North America with seventy-three general membership branches throughout the country. The union has continued to organize among immigrants and other underrepresented workers and advocate for immigrant rights across all industries.
Bibliography
Chester, Eric Thomas. The Wobblies in Their Heyday: The Rise and Destruction of the Industrial Workers of the World during the World War I Era. Santa Barbara: Praeger, 2014. Print.
Foner, Philip S. History of the Labor Movement in the United States. Vol. 4. New York: International, 1965. Print.
Goldman, Emma. “The Industrial Workers of the World.” PBS, www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/goldman-industrial-workers-world/. Accessed 30 Aug. 2024.
"The Industrial Workers of the World." The Seattle General Strike, specialcollections.ds.lib.uw.edu/SeattleGeneralStrike/the-industrial-workers-of-the-world/. Accessed 30 Aug. 2024.
Industrial Workers of the World, www.iww.org/. Accessed 30 Aug. 2024.
Lewis, Joel. "Industrial Workers of the World (IWW or Wobblies)." Encyclopedia of the Industrial Revolution in World History. Vol. 3. Ed. Kenneth E. Hendrickson III. Lanham: Rowman, 2015. 466–67. Print
May, Matthew. Soapbox Rebellion: The Hobo Orator Union and the Free Speech Fights of the Industrial Workers of the World, 1909–1916. Tuscaloosa: U of Alabama P, 2013. Print.
Thompson, Fred W., and John Bekken. The Industrial Workers of the World: Its First One Hundred Years—1905 Through 2005. Foreword by Utah Phillips. Chicago: Industrial Workers of the World, 2006. Print.