It all started with eight men who wanted change. These eight men were sick of the labor laws and the disrespect in people’s rights so they decided to do something about it. They wanted a place of solidarity and strength for every person working in America. The men wanted to create an organization that went against capitalism and the regulations of the government.
They invited other leaders of radical labor to a meeting in Chicago which started the Industrial Workers of the World. The eight men held the conference exchanging their opinions and views on the labor laws to American workers which led to a larger gathering in Chicago with working leaders to discuss the present issues with the labor laws. The industrial workers wanted to promote solidarity for the workers in overthrowing the employing class. “An injury to one is an injury to all” was a popular saying. They created component parts to show some laws of what they want done. The Industrial Branches of the union were divided into shop section, language sections, departments divisions, district subdivisions, and an industrial direct council. The IWW was mostly organized because of the belief with many people that the American Federation of Labor was dividing us as a union and has failed to effectively organize the U.
S. working class. The Wobblies think that every single worker should be organized as a single class. The working class and the employing class create a struggle between the two because they are separating the union by a label. Women could be in the same organization along with African American, Asians, and even immigrants. This was the only American union that did this.
Politicians saw them as a threat to the market systems. Factory owners employed violent and non-violent to interrupt their meetings. People were often arrested and or killed for public speeches which only created activism. The organization had 25,000 members among dock workers, agricultural workers in the central states, and in textile and mining areas by 1912. The IWW made more than 900 unions located in many cities and towns in 38 territories of the United States and 5 Canadian provinces. Members of the IWW were active throughout the country and were involved in the Seattle General Strike, were arrested or killed in the Everett Massacre, organized among Mexican workers in the Southwest, became a largest and powerful longshoremen’s union in Philadelphia, and more. As you can see the IWW was very successful in their accomplishments.
