Master Resource List

Greetings Fellow Worker(s)! Welcome to the Richmond IWW’s “Master” resource list. This page contains many absolutely crucial resources that will allow us to continue our mission of building militant radical unionism here in Richmond and beyond! If you see fit to add or remove something from this list please contact that branch Communications officer, whoever that may be at the time.

Please take time to look through these resources and learn how they apply to your organizing efforts. Don’t hesitate to reach out to a branch officer like your delegate to ask what any of these things are!

**links marked with two asterisks are for officers only and require private login credentials. If you would like to review information from any of these sources please contact the current Communications officer.

Websites and Social Media

Richmond General Membership Branch

https://richmondiww.org
For website ‘back-end’ access – https://richmondiww.org/wp-admin**
(If you would like to become an editor/admin for the website please reach out to Sam (SJWest in Riot) for assistance getting an account made.

Riot homeserver/browser access: https://richmondiww.modular.im

Riot intro for mobile – Note that this video demonstrates the *old* account creation process. As of 7/10/20 everyone must request an account first using the link at the top of this section. The portion about typing in the homeserver URL is still correct and must be done just so in order to access our server. You can choose between the app in this video “Riot.IM” or the new beta release app called “Riot.X”

Riot intro for desktop/laptop

Download Riot Desktop app (preferable to using in browser security-wise)

Riot homeserver back-end (Sign in with branch gmail account)**

Branch Resources

Introduction to the Richmond IWW – reference for all things specific to the Richmond branch (e.g., communication platforms) and the organizing structure of the IWW in general! (Note: This document is still under development).

Richmond IWW Branch Bylaws – These are the bylaws specific to the Richmond General Membership Branch (GMB) and can be amended through motions at branch business meetings. Please note that amending anything within the bylaws requires TWO votes at monthly business meetings.

Preamble, Constitution, and General Bylaws of the IWW – This is the constitution for the larger union. All branches and members must agree to abide by these bylaws upon applying for membership to the IWW. It is possible that you received a hardcopy of this with your new membership packet, but with a yearly convention the bylaws change. We aim to keep the most-current publication of the IWW’s constitution and bylaws here for your reference! (This ver. current as of January 2020).

Glossary of IWW terms and abbreviations – Yeah, we know. There is a lot. Many of these terms however are more historical, though some have survived in the current wobbly lexicon.

SATO fund – The SATO fund is administered by the Gender Equity Committee (GEC) of the IWW. This fund is for the purpose of encouraging participation and making union involvement more accessible to non-male fellow workers.

Getting Connected to the Broader IWW

You have thousands of fellow workers all over the country, continent, and world that support you in your struggles. We highly encourage participation in wobbly spaces that allow us to all connect and collaborate. Getting to know our fellow workers from all around will make the union that much stronger!

InterWob Forums – the official online forums of the international IWW community. Only members in good standing will have access to this forum. Sometimes there is a disconnect between paying dues to your delegate and the database being updated, so staying active on InterWob is a good motivation for making sure you get your dues stamps!

Listservs – The IWW uses email listservs as the primary form of communication for all union business. As such, all of the major decisions made by the elected administrative officials of the IWW are done over these lists such that all members in good standing are able to read and interject in all discussions between members of the GEB, ODB, GEC, etc. However, the numbers of listservs is highly unmoderated and thus there are very many. We recommend subscribing to at least the “IWW list” in order to keep up with the broader union activities and discussions joining the “GEB” and “ODB” listservs will give you access to the actual voting and motions being made by these administrative bodies. Be aware however that sometimes debate on these lists can get heated as they are only lightly moderated.

Red Carders – This is an unofficial private facebook group with more experienced IWW organizers, mostly folks from the Pacific NW. If you would like to be added to this group please ask in the general discussion or reach out to Sam or Jacki.

Good Readings/Videos

Richmond IWW Lending Library – An editable list of books and other texts owned by members of the branch. Anything on this list is up for borrowing on request. This list also contains links to full copies of some of these texts! Please add your own books to the list as this link is editable.

The Wobblies – A documentary film from the 70s about the IWW. This film includes a lot of interviews with wobblies from the early days of the union and gives some great historical background on the IWW.

Wobblyism: Revolutionary Unionism for Today – This is a longer piece published by a few fellow workers back in 2014, but it does an incredible job of synthesizing the union’s more recent past, things that worked, those that didn’t, and the path moving forward! We advise all new members (and those who just haven’t read it) give this a thorough read-through so we’ve all got a good idea of the path that lies ahead!

No Shortcuts: Organizing for Power in the New Gilded Age – This (bootleg) book by Jane McAlevey is a relatively easy read and is a great introduction and guide on how to organize well using similar models to those used by the IWW! There are definitely some places where the IWW’s philosophy of organizing departs from McAlevey’s, but all in all this is a highly accessible reading. Scroll down and click the blue “Download (pdf)” button.

Socialism…seriously: A brief guide to human liberation – By Danny Katch, this is a great and fairly light-hearted introductory read on socialist and generally anti-capitalist ideas. Katch doesn’t take himself too seriously, but does spend ample time envisioning a socialist future, but not in a grandiose way. Instead he portrays the mundane and pedestrian aspects of life post-revolution in a way that makes it all feel much more obtainable. He doesn’t pull punches when criticizing the errors and flaws of 20th century socialist and communist leaders, but also notes the parts of these past liberation movements that actually did bring about liberation. Katch does a great job synthesizing the best of leftist tendencies, concluding that we all need one another to fight American capital, and any sectarian infighting will need to be set aside in favor of this common goal if we are ever to achieve it.