Letter of the outgoing editor of the industrial worker

After 8 years of loyal servicess the publisher of the newspaper office theIndustrial Worker (IW), the fellow worker Diane Krauthamer decided in the fall 2016 not to represent and make room for someone else. We transcribe here the letter it published in the latest edition of the IW and thank her warmly for everything she has done. We also take a few lines to wish the best of luck in fellow worker Roberta McNair, elected majority in the international referendum for the editor position for the term IW 2017.

Fellow workers,
After 8 wonderful years, it will have been my last issue as editor of theIndustrial Worker. Although I intends to continue working on this publication on a voluntary basis, I resigned from my position as editor of theIndustrial Worker at the end of 2016. A-e another comrade to be élu.e take my place.

When I started this job in the beginning 2009, je did not have much experience with the IWW. At that time, I lived in New York, helping with the local sectione support
of Union workers at Starbucks and organizing campaigns in food warehouses in Brooklyn and Queens. My knowledge and my experience with Wobblies worldwide forestayint rather limiteds.

 

By becoming editor of the IW, I had the pleasure to exchange stories with hundreds of comrades worldwide, people working in various industries, occupying various functions and activist for many causes work-oriented. Although our communications did summarized in a few email exchanges, it was exciting for me to learn about different projects, campaigns, events, organizing victories, experiences, opinions, and ideas of each person. Despite setbacks and occasional episodes of overwork, I always found the motivation to continue my work on the IW and my involvement with the union was successful. My involvement with the IWW continues to be inspired by the countless fellow workers to keep alive the momentum Our union. I would have given up long ago if it was not for you.

While my job on the newspaper be completed soon (for the moment), my work for the union is far from being. My first priority is to build and strengthen the IWW. Over the years, I came to realize that any attempt is futile unless we fight against all forms of discrimination in the process. And this is imperative if we want to grow our strength. As certain.es of you may remember is, Over the years pastes, through my editorial work, I encouraged open debate on these issues. Personally, I think the biggest obstacle to the growth of the IWW's sexism, and I do not believe that acting as if the problem did not exist will solve the. The IW is the official publication of the IWW, and as such, I think it should be the mission of this publication to encourage further dialogue that can help us work on these complex issues.

I chose to include these discussions in the pages of’Industrial Worker for this very reason. If we are honest about who we are, we must be honests on how we can improve. The members potentiel.les will see this and will want to join an organization that recognizes its problems and is working to resolve. The ancien.nes Members may even return to the organization s'il.les see that we fight openly against a patriarchal culture internally. The members actuel.les may be thwarted.is about the opinion of a person, more il.les can also meet and have their views publishedes, and this is what makes it effective dialogue. On the other side, the patron.nes who read the IW, will not know what to deal with such a strong organization.

As I pass the torch to the next editor or the next editor of the IW, I encourage that person to incorporate a similar editorial mission in his work diary, just like I did with mine. Meanwhile, I will continue to build a stronger and more inclusive union. my aims remain the same, regardless of my location.

I hope my work inIndustrial Worker you will be inspired, as yours certainly inspired me.

in solidarity,

Diane Krauthamer

Editor ofIndustrial Worker.