An article from the last Industrial Worker who tries to trace in the history and the organization of the IWW reconciling the immediate objectives of daily struggles (better working conditions, minimum wage increase) and the revolutionary purpose of the IWW: Industrial Democracy, where workers form a “socialist republic of workers' cooperatives”.

We in the IWW, like many others, have long tried to link two types of struggle— struggles for short-term improvements under capitalism and the struggle to replace capitalism with a better society. For years, now the IWW has used two ideas to think about the connections between these types of struggles. These ideas are Industrial Unionism and the One Big Union. These ideas have meant many different things but they have always been related to the IWW’s revolutionary vision. These ideas relate to our vision of a future revolution that ends capitalism and to our vision of our organization under capitalism before such a revolution.

Clic here to read the article / Click here to read the article

Extracts / Extracts

“A well conducted strike will do more towards developing class-consciousness and radical sentiment than ten tons of revolutionary propaganda of a general nature.”

“Under capitalism, the structure was meant to coordinate effective struggle and to maximize the preparatory role—to make the IWW radicalize as many workers as possible as effectively as possible. After capitalism ended, the same structure would take on a new role. The article stated: “Under capitalism, the functions of the union are militant and aggressive; under the Socialist Republic they will be administrative only. This change of function will involve no internal transformation of the union, as it is precisely those powers whereby it can inflict injury upon the capitalist that will enable it to take up the work of production. It is precisely its control over production… that give[s] its power for militant action.”