The Industrial Workers of the World or IWW is an international trade union which aims for the creation of a global society built on workers' self-management. It has had strong ties with libertarian socialists throughout history, mainly anarcho-syndicalists.
History
See Also: Timeline of the IWW
The IWW was founded in 1905 by a congress of socialists, anarchists and communists in order to create an international union for all workers in order to create a non-capitalist society. It led several major strikes in the 1900s, 1910s and the 1920s, before a major split ruptured the group. Although the group led more strikes, it slowly declined in influence until only having a few hundred members and was nearing extinction. It regained influence in the 1960s, and has been slowly growing since, with a large wave boost of support in 2010s.
Notable Members
- Arthur Caron
- Bessie Braddock
- Charles Ashleigh
- David Graeber
- David Rovics
- Earl Browder
- Elmer Allison
- Harry Bridges
- Hellen Keller
- James P. Cannon
- Joe Capilano
- Joe Hill
- John J. Ballam
- Judi Bari
- Lee J. Carter
- Lucy Parsons
- Martin Abern
- Maurice Becker
- Noam Chomsky
- Peter Bowling
- Ralph Chaplin
- Richard Beech
- Roger Nash Baldwin
- Slim Brundage
- Tabitha Chase
- Tom Barker