Hello Fellow Workers!

If you’ve been sent this page it means you’ve recently joined the IWW, one of the oldest labor organizations in the US. You have a long and rich heritage to be proud of now that you’ve gotten your red card and we’re excited to have you! That being said, there really is A LOT to learn. So get settled in while we give you a proper introduction to the IWW. Here we have created and compiled a lot of helpful resources that will get you acquainted not only with the IWW in general but the Richmond branch specifically!

If you have any questions that aren’t answered by these documents please don’t hesitate to ask your delegate, any of the branch officers, or any of your fellow workers.

Education is a huge part of the IWW’s strategy : A, E, I, O, U: (Agitate, Educate, Inoculate, Organize, and Unionize!) and we’re happy to do it.

Welcome to the union!

-> Wobblyism: Revolutionary Unionism for Today – This is a longer piece published by a fellow worker 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!

-> 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. This copy of the branch bylaws is current at of the last amendment approved (08/13/2020).

-> 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.

-> 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 2018).

-> One Big Union! – This booklet is a crash course on the IWW’s history, organizing tactics, and other general info about the OBU! This also comes in paper form with your new member packet, but it’s always good to have handy!

-> No Shortcuts: Organizing for Power in the New Gilded Age – This 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! Highly recommended reading. Scroll down and click the blue “Download (pdf)” button.

This page last revised 1/5/2020.