The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) first met in the summer of 1905 in Chicago, Illinois. The members (the Wobblies) were mainly farmers, miners, and loggers. The union had a fierce defense against the first amendment and broke down barriers of race, ethnicity, and gender. The goal for the organization was to achieve better pay, shorter hours, and better working conditions. Many unions refused to accept immigrant workers, especially Jewish and Irish immigrants. This was not true of the Industrial Workers of the World and as a result many of its members were first and second generation immigrants to United States of America.
Two of the founders were William D. Haywood who was the leader of Western Federation of Miners, and Eugene V. Debs of the Socialist Party. Among the other members of IWW were anarchists, socialists, and communists that all came together to form “one big union”. Since it's founding in Chicago, the IWW has moved its headquarters around the country. The IWW opposed the American Federation of Labor’s acceptance of capitalism and its refusal to include unskilled workers in craft unions. A craft union is a union of people who have the same skills, such as plumbers and electricians. The Industrial Workers of the World strongly opposed capitalism, and they had many propaganda posters that showed capitalism as dark and evil. Along with posters IWW attempted to reach their goals through protests, boycotts, slowdowns, and other forms of direct violence. These tactics often led to arrests and sensational publicity. When IWW organizer Joe Hill was executed in 1915, after being charged for murder, he became a folk hero for the labour movement. Labor organizing flourished during World War I because of the government’s need for a variety of raw materials.
The Industrial Workers of the World was the only labour organization to oppose U. S. participation in World War I. They did this by attempting to limit copper production in western states. The federal government responded by prosecution. One hundred and one IWW leaders went on trial in 1918. The trial lasted five months, and was the longest criminal trial in American history up to that time. The judge sentenced Haywood and fourteen others to twenty years in prison, thirty-three were given ten years, and about a hundred others were given shorter sentences. The Wobblies were fined a total of $2,500,000. The IWW was shattered. In March 1921 William Haywood abandoned the organization and ran away to Russia. By 1925 membership had declined dramatically. IWW managed to never fully die and there are still Wobblies today fighting to achieve better pay, better hours, and better working conditions.
Two of the founders were William D. Haywood who was the leader of Western Federation of Miners, and Eugene V. Debs of the Socialist Party. Among the other members of IWW were anarchists, socialists, and communists that all came together to form “one big union”. Since it's founding in Chicago, the IWW has moved its headquarters around the country. The IWW opposed the American Federation of Labor’s acceptance of capitalism and its refusal to include unskilled workers in craft unions. A craft union is a union of people who have the same skills, such as plumbers and electricians. The Industrial Workers of the World strongly opposed capitalism, and they had many propaganda posters that showed capitalism as dark and evil. Along with posters IWW attempted to reach their goals through protests, boycotts, slowdowns, and other forms of direct violence. These tactics often led to arrests and sensational publicity. When IWW organizer Joe Hill was executed in 1915, after being charged for murder, he became a folk hero for the labour movement. Labor organizing flourished during World War I because of the government’s need for a variety of raw materials.
The Industrial Workers of the World was the only labour organization to oppose U. S. participation in World War I. They did this by attempting to limit copper production in western states. The federal government responded by prosecution. One hundred and one IWW leaders went on trial in 1918. The trial lasted five months, and was the longest criminal trial in American history up to that time. The judge sentenced Haywood and fourteen others to twenty years in prison, thirty-three were given ten years, and about a hundred others were given shorter sentences. The Wobblies were fined a total of $2,500,000. The IWW was shattered. In March 1921 William Haywood abandoned the organization and ran away to Russia. By 1925 membership had declined dramatically. IWW managed to never fully die and there are still Wobblies today fighting to achieve better pay, better hours, and better working conditions.