prairie fire (new year 2016)

7/25/2019 Prairie Fire (New Year 2016)

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/prairie-fire-new-year-2016 1/16

Newsleter of he Indusrial Workers of he World (IWW) in Madison, Wisconsin

Volume 9, Number 1 New Year !1"

AN EVENTFUL YEAR BEHIND, AND A CHALLENGING YEAR AHEADSo, 2015 – what a year, eh?

It was a year that began for

Wisconsin labor with the so-

called “Right to Wor! bill

that was clearly the follow-

thro"gh of the “di#ide and

con$"er! strategy thatstarted with %ct 10 in 2011,

which was, essen&ally,

“right to wor! for the

'"blic sector( )"ite a few

'ri#ate sector "nion

brothers and sisters

recogni*ed that that was an a+ac on % of labor and

stood in solidarity with '"blic sector "nions in 2011,

b"t there were also all too any who did not, whether

o"t of resentent for the be+er bene.ts in the '"blic

sector /well, at the &e, anyway or soe other sel.sh

reasons( iewise, when the state go#ernent went

aer the 'ri#ate sector "nions, e#en aer saying they

wo"ldnt /which 'eo'le sho"ld ha#e recogni*ed as a

lie, based on infora&on on Walers “di#ide and

con$"er! strategy that eerged bac in 2011, soe

'"blic sector worers reebered that too any

'ri#ate sector "nion ebers did not ha#e their bac

in 2011, so they were rel"ctant to s"''ort the in

2015( 3he “di#ide and con$"er! strategy,

"nfort"nately, wored, and we "st learn fro that

and be ore "nited in o"r solidarity going forward,

whether we be '"blic or 'ri#ate sector, bl"e or whiteor gray collar worers( 3he only way we can gain

#ictories against the 'ower of the e'loying class is

thro"gh the 'ower of solidarity(

3he year ended, tho"gh, with the worers at 4ohler

“re#i#ing the strie,! to borrow a 'hrase fro a"thor

oe 6"rns boo by that &tle /which is highly

recoended and winning a 'ar&al #ictory in

red"cing the

wage ga' in the

two-&er 'ay

syste and

winning be+er

health ins"rance

bene.ts( 7ot

only did worersat 4ohler show

solidarity

aongst

thesel#es, with

ore senior

worers .gh&ng

for be+er 'ay and bene.ts for their lower-&er fellow

worers, b"t they also en8oyed solidarity fro worers

thro"gho"t Wisconsin, as well as solidarity fro

o"tside of the state( 6y doing so, they deonstrated

how solidarity and direct ac&on can win #ictories for

worers( /oo inside this iss"e for a song ada'ted for

the 4ohler strie that was incl"ded in a li+le songboo

o"r branch '"t together for the strie(

In between, we saw ore one-day walo"ts and

deonstra&ons fro the 9ight for :15 o#eent( We

saw this o#eent nat"rally do#etail with the 6lac

i#es ;a+er o#eent, 'ar&c"larly with the shoo&ngs

of 3ony Robinson here in ;adison in ;arch and the

shoo&ng of <ontre =ailton in ;ilwa"ee in 201>, as

well as a n"ber of other cases of in8"s&ce both in

Wisconsin and na&onwide( 3he low wage worerso#eent has seen a lot of 'ar&ci'a&on fro %frican-

%erican and a&n worers, which is certainly a

welcoe de#elo'ent, and in8"s&ces at the hands of

the 'olice ha#e hel'ed to laid bare the 'ower dynaics

of the race and class str"ct"res in o"r society, as it has

becoe clear how di@erently 'eo'le who lac race

andAor class 'ri#ilege are treated by 'olice and the

8"s&ce syste( 3hese str"ggles are in&ately



2

connected, and we "st stand in solidarity with each

other(

So far, tho"gh, the low wage worers o#eent has

foc"sed 'riarily on '"shing for a :15Aho"r ini"

wage and for geBng in#ol#ed in elec&ons to s"''ort

candidates and 'ar&es who s"''ort raising the

ini" wage and i'ro#ing labor rights( 3here has

not been as "ch foc"s on organi*ing "nions in

wor'laces or on direct

ac&on, aside fro ac&ons

.gh&ng bac against wage

the and retalia&on(

/=ere in ;adison, for

eCa'le, solidarity and

direct ac&on hel'ed to win

bac 'ay for a 6"rger 4ing

worer who had been a#ic& of wage the( it is

clear that the o#eent

will be foc"sing a lot of

a+en&on and ac&on on

the 201D elec&ons,

'ar&c"larly the

'residen&al elec&on,

'"shing 'eo'le to #ote in

the elec&ons for their

'referred candidates, as

well as 'rotes&ng at'residen&al candidate

debates, es'ecially on the

Re'"blican side(

So, this year /and beyond,

one way in which the IWW

can get in#ol#ed in the low wage worers o#eent is

to enco"rage ore organi*ing directly in wor'laces

and ore direct ac&on to win be+er 'ay, condi&ons,

and rights for worers( We need to go beyond erely

chan&ng, “:15 and a "nion,! and tae the neCt ste' to

act"ally organi*e "nions( /See inside this iss"e for a

'oster and s&cers that we designed to hel' agitate

towards these ends(

We also need to ebar on an ed"ca&onal 'ro8ect on

solidarity "nionis, with 'ro8ects s"ch as '"Bng

together a 'a'hlet A *ine co'iling short 'ieces on

the conce't( Solidarity "nionis is, in a n"tshell, a

'hiloso'hy of labor organi*a&on and ac&on that relies

ore on worer solidarity and direct ac&on than on

the 7R6 'rocess( Ei#en the 'assage of %ct 10 and

now “Right to Wor! legisla&on in Wisconsin, aing

7R6 cer&.ca&on and collec&#e bargaining ore

diFc"lt, its a 'hiloso'hy that Wisconsin wo"ld do well

to learn ore abo"t and '"t into ac&on in the c"rrent

en#ironent( Gontrary to what any 'eo'le see to

thin, being a "nion is not de'endent on whether or

not the "nion has 7R6 cer&.ca&on – thats 8"st one

'ath to tae, and, when that 'ath becoes

'rohibi&#ely diFc"lt, then

we need to consider other

'aths(

Hne of the ost eCci&ng

'ro8ects c"rrently

ha''ening in the IWW is

the wor of the

Incarcerated WorerHrgani*ing Goi+ee

/IWHG, organi*ing o"r

fellow worers in 'risons(

/See inside this iss"e for

ore on IWHG( ;any

'eo'le on the o"tside

wo"ld liely be s"r'rised to

learn that 'risoners are

being "sed as chea' labor

not only in '"blic ser#ice

ca'aci&es, s"ch as ainglicense 'lates or cleaning

"' highway areas, b"t they

are also being "sed as dirt

chea' labor /were literally

taling 'ennies an ho"r

here by for-'ro.t

cor'ora&ons, incl"ding soe that are failiar targets

for the low wage worers o#eent, s"ch as

;c<onalds /aing trays and other ites for their

resta"rants( 7ot only does this introd"ce 'er#erse

incen&#es in the 8"s&ce syste siilar to those

introd"ced by for-'ro.t 'risons /since ore 'risoners

ean ore 'ro.t, b"t it also taes 8obs away fro

worers on the o"tside( %s for the worers inside the

'risons, well, if we refer to wor o"tside the 'risons as

“wage sla#ery,! then wor inside the 'risons is

dist"rbingly close to cha+el sla#ery( /3he 3hirteenth

%endent to the (S( Gons&t"&on forbids sla#ery,

b"t aes an eCe'&on for sla#ery as a '"nishent

for crie(



3

In o"r branch, we wo"ld lie to get ore in#ol#ed with

IWHG, incl"ding hel'ing to coordinate with the local

boos to 'risoners 'ro8ects, as well as 'ar&ci'a&ng in

le+er wri&ng to 'risoners, es'ecially those who are

doing organi*ing wor on the inside( Jerha's o"r wor

can eC'and fro there, too( 3his wo"ld also be a great

o''ort"nity to coo'erate with the 6lac i#es ;a+er

o#eent and the o#eent to '"sh bac against the

in8"s&ces 'er'etrated by the 'olice, 'risons, and o"r

8"s&ce syste( %gain, these o#eents are #ery "ch

connected, and we need to stand in solidarity with

each other( Jlease contact "s to get in#ol#edK Wed

lo#e to ha#e yo", and we co"ld "se yo"r hel'K

2015 also saw an escala&on in the ongoing a+acs on

'eo'le witho"t hoes and on the streets, incl"ding

fro ;adisons ayor and 'olice chief( "st as the

IWW, "ni$"e in any ways, is the only "nionorgani*ing inside of 'risons, it is also the only "nion

organi*ing 'eo'le witho"t hoes and 'eo'le trying to

ee o"t an eCistence on the streets, with s"ch "nions in

H+awa and Windsor, Hntario( 3hese "nions are,

essen&ally, "t"al s"''ort networs against

challenges they face fro go#ernent, 'olice,

b"sinesses, etc( 3his is certainly not a tradi&onal area

for "nion organi*ing, b"t it coes fro the sae

general o&#a&on for woring class 'eo'le to band

together in their interests and to s"''ort each other(

;ost of the rest of "s, es'ecially in recent years, are

only a few ste's reo#ed and a few istaes or

instances of bad l"c away being in the sae sit"a&on,

so we need to see their str"ggles as o"r str"ggles, too,

and "nite as a class( 3here is already a good deal of

ac&#is and ad#ocacy aro"nd these iss"es in ;adison

that we enco"rage, b"t if yo" are interested in hel'ing

to organi*e a "nion in which 'eo'le on the streets /in

whate#er ca'acity andAor witho"t hoes can call their

own as they control it thesel#es to ad#ocate for

thesel#es, 'lease contact "s so that we can get the

ball rolling(

We certainly do li#e in “interes&ng &es,! dont we?

7ow that were 'ast the holiday season and ha#e had a

chance to reLect on the 're#io"s year and loo ahead

to the new year, let "s shae o@ the id-winter

doldr"s and rededicate o"rsel#es to the str"ggle inthe new year( <o yo" ha#e soe ideas for ac&ons we

co"ld tae or 'ro8ects we co"ld wor on? Jlease

contact "s, 8oin "s, and lets ae the ha''enK %re

yo" wondering how yo" can get ore in#ol#ed? Jlease

contact "s and introd"ce yo"rsel#es to "s, so that we

can hel' yo" .nd a way to get ore ac&#eK

– 9eliC 6"ne,

6ranch Secretary, ;adison IWW E;6

Copy these “silent agitator” stickers and stick 'em where they'll do some good!



4

Does this look like a prison to you?

Well, it sure looked like one during the noon hour onNovember 10.

This is the McDonald's on Park Street in Madison, near theSouth Transer Point, !here there !as a "ight or #1$action on November 10 and several !orkers !alked o% the&ob.

The had a bunch o co(s and securit guards !ith guns atthe McDonald's, and, or a !hile, the had the doorslocked, !ith !orkers and high)level managers inside, and!ere intimidating !orkers rom !alking out.

*n other !ords, the !ere essentiall treating their!orkers like their (risoners and their (ro(ert.

Workers are human beings orced to sell their time andlabor to survive in the !age sstem, not (risoners+

Workers are human beings !ith their o!n lives, not(ro(ert or bosses to do !ith as the (lease+

This absolutel inuriated me that the !ould stoo( so lo!as to mistreat their !orkers like this, basicall holdingthem ca(tive. The co(s should have been !arning themanagers about holding (eo(le against their !ill, !hich isa crime, but the !ere there to (rotect the bosses andtheir (ro(ert, instead, o course.

ventuall, the did let !orkers out, and it took braver or them to !alk o% the &ob under those circumstances.T-*S is ho! the treat !orkers !ho are sim(l asking or

better (a, a little dignit and res(ect, and to be able toorganie !ithout retaliation+

T-*S is !h !e need unions, !hen bosses !ill treat!orkers like (ro(ert and turn !ork(laces into (risons+

T-*S is !h !e need to organie+ Man (eo(le are a!areo the solidarit /st, but remember !hat it smbolies

ust as individuall !eak /ngers can come together toorm a (o!erul /st, individuall !eak !orkers andcommunit members can come together to orm a(o!erul orce to counter the (o!er o the bosses+

T-*S is !h !e need !orking class solidarit+ When!orkers take action, !e need to back them u( and (rovidesu((ort, so that the can have the courage to act, theresources to act, and (eo(le read and !illing to come totheir deense !hen the need it+

So, !e have !orkers being treated like (risoners, and(risoners being e2(loited or (ro/t as even chea(er

!orkers. We need to /ght or all o them+3 45 the !a,McDonald's is also one o the cor(orations e2(loiting(rison labor+ 6heck out the *WW's *ncarcerated Workers7rganiing 6ommittee to hel( organie our ello! !orkersin (rison+3

This is !here !e're at, olks. This is !h !e must organieand act. Solidarit+

)) "eli2 5unke, 5ranch Secretar



DON'T JUST FIGHT FOR $15,

FIGHT FOR MORE,

WITH A UNION!Mes, yo" need and deser#e be+er 'ay, b"t a higher ini" wage

can only do so "ch, and we cannot 8"st '"t o"r tr"st in 'oli&cians(

We need to .ght for o"rsel#es, with o"r fellow worersK

WHAT CAN YOU FIGHT FOR WITH A UNION?• Better pay and benefts, no wage thet•

The hours you need• Better, more exible scheduling• Advance scheduling (so you can plan)• o clopens• !aid sic" days and time o# or amily• Brea"s $ more and longer• %aety at wor"• Better heating and cooling at wor"• o racial or gender discrimination• o sexual or racist harassment• o harassment o A& "ind'• espect, dignity, and airness at wor"• emocracy at wor" $ *ave a say'• %olidarity against intimidation + threats• hatever &-. decide you need'

#he IWW is a union commited o $i%in$ W&''*

#+M*V* he ools and resources we need o -$h for

oursel%es and each oher in he work.lace/ 0oin us

oda, and le us hel. ou or$ani2e our work.lace3

We meet the /rst Monda o ever month at 890 PMin the MT* building at :;1 Williamson St. in Madison4use the back entrance3. <ll !orkers !elcome.

M45I*&N IWW 6M7, 8/&/ 7o :: Madison WI ;<=!1

mail> muualaidnework?$mail/com ,

@ind us on @acebook3

mailto:[email protected]





6

4-ere is the cover o the songbook !e (ut together orthe =ohler strike, as !ell as a song !e ada(ted.3

SONGS3H 4NNJ 3=N

FLAMESBURNING

H7 3=N

PICKET

LINES

bro"ght to yo" byO

Ind"strial Worers of the World /IWW, ;adison

Eeneral ;ebershi' 6ranch /E;6/J(H( 6oC 2>>2, ;adison, WI 5PQ01

Solidarity Sing-%long/See 9aceboo

(((and other area gro"'s and ac&#ists eC'ressing solidarity

with worers who organi*e and actK

1") 6IV M #+4# NW ANI&N B&N#'4B#

/yricsO nnown, ada'ted and eC'anded by 9eliC

6"ne 3"neO Ei#e ;e 3hat Hld 3ie Religion

G=HRSO

Ei#e e that new "nion contractEi#e e that new "nion contract

Ei#e e that new "nion contract

With 'ay eno"gh for e

et e wor for decent wages

3hey#e been chea&ng "s for ages

Worers wont be sh"t in cages

3hats not eno"gh for eK

G=HRS

We want worers treated fairly

3wo-&er doesnt treat "s s$"arely

3hey wont tric "s now, were waryK

Its "nion &e for eK

G=HRS

7ow the bosses ae ore oney

%nd their f"t"re s"re is s"nny,

%nd we hel'ed the, b"t whats f"nny?Jays not eno"gh for eK

G=HRS

We wont let the bosses b"st "s

Well ha#e dignity and 8"s&ce

We wont let the bosses beat "s

Its "nion &e for eK

G=HRS

7ow were striing here at 4ohler

We dont want to be high rollers,

6"t their o@ers a one-holerK

Its not eno"gh for eK

G=HRS



7

DUES INCREASE EFFECTIVE STARTING JANUARY 1

3he 2015 IWW general referend" ballot incl"ded a

eas"re to increase ebershi' d"es, and that

eas"re 'assed and is now e@ec&#e( 3hat eans that,

if yo" are a eber, yo" will need to 'ay slightly orein d"es each onth star&ng now( =ere are the c"rrent

d"esO

If yo"r onthly incoe is "nder :2000, d"es are :11

'er onth( 3his is the “ini"! d"es rate /increased

fro :T 'er onth(

If yo"r onthly incoe is between :2000 and :P500,

d"es are :22 'er onth( 3his is the “reg"lar! d"es rate

/increased fro :1U 'er onth(

If yo"r onthly incoe is o#er :P500 a onth, d"es

are :PP 'er onth( 3his is the “aCi"! d"es rate

/increased fro :2Q 'er onth(

3here is also a s'ecial “s"bini"! d"es rate for

those who are "ne'loyed, in .nancial distress, etc(,

and that rate is now :D 'er onth /increased fro :5

'er onth(

If yo"#e been 'aying yo"r d"es #ia %G= /i(e(, ha#ing it

a"toa&cally transferred fro yo"r acco"nt to the

branchs credit "nion acco"nt, yo" will need to .ll o"ta new for to change the ao"nt transferred each

onth( H"r treas"rer is ailing o"t fors to e#ery

eber on %G= who has yet to .ll o"t a new for,

b"t, if yo" s&ll need one /'erha's we ha#e an old

address, for instance, 'lease contact "s so that we can

'ro#ide yo" with a for(

If yo"re behind in yo"r d"es /na"ghty, na"ghtyK, yo"

will now need to 'ay at the new rate /yo" sho"ld#e

'aid earlier, so yo" co"ld#e sa#ed oneyK( If yo" 'aid

ahead, tho"gh, yo" do not need to 'ay eCtra( In otherwords, the ao"nt yo" need to 'ay for each onth is

based on the d"es rates in e@ect when yo" 'ay(

=o'ef"lly, this will '"t the IWW on be+er .nancial

foo&ng for the f"t"re and 'ro#ide ore reso"rces for

"se in woring class str"ggles(

Joe Hill 100 Road Show Tour Conducts

Concerts in Three Dozen Citiesby Ron 4ainow

Hn 7o#eber 1Tth, 1T15 a 'oor Swedish iigrant

was eCec"ted by .ring s$"ad in Salt ae Gity, tah(

%nd while his legal assassina&on was 'rotested

worldwide and his nae was brieLy a ho"sehold word

100 years ago, today ost 'eo'le ha#e ne#er heard

the nae of this igrant worer, hobo, "nion

organi*er, song writer, sa&rist and agitator( 6"t

thro"gho"t the co"rse of 2015 – 100 years aer his

eCec"&on – do*ens of concerts, 'lays, sing-alongs and

other gatherings were cond"cted across the

nited Sates in reebrance of this an “who ne#er

died! – oe =ill(

The Joe Hill Road Show 100 Tour was an abi&o"s

e@ort to bring the words, "sic and ideas of oe =ill to

the 'eo'le( In soe three do*en 'erforances aro"nd

the co"ntry – star&ng in Ghicago on ;ay 1

/Interna&onal WorersV <ay and ending in Salt ae

Gity the day aer his eCec"&on – crowds were treated

to rendi&ons of oeVs songs as 'erfored by a series of

di@erent "sicians( While soe of the crowds were

sall and others large, all shows on the to"r were

s'irited e#ents with lots of a"dience

'ar&ci'a&on, enth"sias, and la"ghter, all inf"sed

with the s'irit of labor solidarity(

Jerforers at the #ario"s shows incl"ded a n"ber of

'rofessional tra#elling "sicians, others regionally

based, as well as local talent, in#ited "' on stage to

8oin in the f"n( Soe of the "sicians incl"dedO %nne

9eeney, ;ar Ross, 6"cy =aler, Eeorge ;ann, (J(

Wright, ;arc Re#son /ilV Re#, 3i Eorelanton, Jatric

<odd, <a#id Ro#ics, <"ncan Jhilli's, H&s Eibbs, Gharlie

4ing, Ereg %rt*ner 3erry eonino of “;ag'ie,! an

=aarl"nd, and Ghris Ghandler( oining the in at

least three ci&es, the abor Ghor"s in each added

another diension, a "ni$"e eleent to these shows,

one that enco"raged gro"' singing( 3hey 'erfored in

"nion halls, ta#erns, co"nity centers, concert halls,



8

ch"rches, and e#en in an old wooden boCcar by the

railroad tracs in 7orthern Galifornia( Shows too 'lace

in 1U states in the following towns and ci&esO Ghicago

and 6ata#ia, I ;adison, ;ilwa"ee, Sheboygan,

Hshosh and Ereen 6ay, WI St( Ja"l, ;7 Indiana'olis,

I7 Washington, <G 6al&ore, ;< Jhiladel'hia, J%

Ithaca, 7M Schenectady, and 7ew Mor, 7M 6arre, X3

S'ring.eld and Gabridge, ;% o"is#ille and

eCington, 4M 7ash#ille and 4noC#ille, 37 %tlanta, E%

San <iego, os %ngeles, San 9rancisco, 7e#ada Gity and

Weed, G% Reno, 7X JhoeniC, N"gene and Jortland,

HR 6ellingha, W% and Salt ae Gity, 3( %ddi&onal

coeora&#e e#ents not s'onsored by the oe =ill

100 gro"' were held in n"ero"s other locales

incl"ding <en#er, GH and Haland, G%(

So why all the f"ss o#er an i&nerant

iigrant, shot to death 100 yearsago? If oe had been a loner, 8"st

another one of illions of isolated

and des&t"te woringen aro"nd the

t"rn of the 20th cent"ry, he wo"ld

ha#e certainly died in obsc"rity( 6"t

oe =ill /born oel Nan"el

=aagl"nd, $"icly assiilated to his

new en#ironent in the S, ref"sed

to be treated "nfairly, 8oined the

"nion that at that &e was organi*ing

"nsilled transient worers /theInd"strial Worers of the World and

fo"nd his #oice( %nd what a #oice that

t"rned o"t to beK oe co'osed

h"ndreds of songs, ne#er ased a

'enny for his ser#ices, and donated all of his wors –

songs, 'oes, cartoons – to the worers of the world

to "se as they saw .t to .ght the class str"ggle(

Worers fro “San <iego "' to ;aine in e#ery ine

and ill! were soon singing oeVs songs at wor, on the

'icet line, on the street corners, on the soa' boC and

in the 8ails( Mes, where#er worers wo"ld “strie and

organi*e! that wo"ld be where yo" wo"ld hear the

songs of oe =ill(

oe had been assigned by the IWW to assist in the

organi*ing of co''er iners and ill worers in tah in

the winter of 1T1> when he was 'iced "' by the

'olice on a "rder charge( <es'ite a hos&le and

conser#a&#e 8"dge, the lac of an i'ar&al 8"ry, the

Lisiest of circ"stan&al e#idence, the eCistence of

s"s'ects far ore liely to ha#e o&#e for the "rder

and the contradictory tes&ony of witnesses, oe was

con#icted of a crie he did not coit and was

sentenced to death( Go"ntless celebri&es, dignitaries

and high le#el 'oli&cians 'lead for his cleency, b"t to

no a#ail( oe was shot at dawn on 7o#eber 1T, 1T15(

% dedicated agitator to the bi+er end, on his last night

in 'rison oe wo"ld wire 6ill =aywood, Eeneral

Secretary-3reas"rer of the "nion, the iortal wordsO

“<onVt waste &e o"rning, organi*eK! %nd e#er the

h"orist, des'ite his 'ending deise, oe wo"ld write,

“ItVs a h"ndred iles fro here to Wyoing( Go"ld yo"

arrange for y body to be ha"led to the state line to

be b"ried? <onVt want to be fo"nd dead in tah(! %s

s"ch, his body was trans'orted to the "nionVs

head$"arters in Ghicago, I, where a f"neral

'rocession of P0,000 worers wo"ld

'arade thro"gh downtown in one of

the largest f"neral 'rocessions thecity had e#er seen( oeVs ashes, 'er

his “last and .nal! will, wo"ld be

'arceled o"t by the "nion and

ailed to worers all o#er the world

to be sca+ered to the fo"r winds(

While the oe =ill 100 Road Show

concerts incl"ded labor standards

lie “Solidarity 9ore#er! and “<"'

the 6osses H@ Mo"r 6ac,! the core

of each show foc"sed on oeVs wor,aong theO “Gasey ones the

nion Scab,! “3he Jreacher and the

Sla#e /Jie in the Sy,! “;r( 6loc!

and “3here is Jower in a nion(! In

addi&on, soe shows feat"red the labor "sic of

odern-day ar&sts, a short 'lay, a 'oetry recita&on, or

e#en a brass arching band( %t any shows, song

sheets were distrib"ted to the a"dience to facilitate

their 'ar&ci'a&on( Nach show was "ni$"e and had its

own ood and #ibe( 6"t what they all shared was a

celebra&on – not 8"st of oe =illVs life and wor – b"t of

his ideas and his creedO interna&onal woring class

solidarity, "ni#ersal brotherhood, ho'e, str"ggle,

re#ol"&on and the “Hne 6ig nion(!

3o learn ore abo"t the life, wor and "sic of oe

=ill, 'lease see the website www(8oehill100(co , a

bo"ndless reso"rce co'lete with a history,

bibliogra'hy, a#ailable erchandise, a lis&ng of

centenary e#ents, words to any of oeVs songs,

'hotos, #ideos, and ore(

http://www.joehill100.com/





9

h+'OAAlawcha(orgAword'ressA2015A11A0QAa''ing-the-iwwA

Mapping the iWW by aes Eregory

3he IWW =istory Jro8ect /fo"nd ath+'OAAde'ts(washington(ed"AiwwA is now li#e( 6ased

at the ni#ersity of Washington, the online 'ro8ect

re#eals in new ways the rich history of the Ind"strial

Worers of the World d"ring the fora&#e years,

1T05-1TP5( 3he 'ro8ect has any diensions, b"t at

the center are interac&#e a's and datasets that show

the geogra'hy and density of IWW ac&#is(

Hne set of a's locates ore than

1,U00 stries, ca'aigns, arrests

and other acts of 'ersec"&on,

allowing "s to see year by year oronth by onth where the IWW

was ac&#e( %nother set of a's and

charts shows the loca&ons of ore

than T00 local "nions( 3he a's are

lined to chronological yearboos of

e#ents that are based on data

collected fro the Ind"strial nion

6"lle&n, Ind"strial Worer,

Solidarity and other so"rces(

3hese #is"ali*a&ons bring s"r'risesand in#ite new "nderstandings

abo"t the radical organi*a&on( 3he

sco'e of ac&#ity is one s"r'rise(

IWW local "nions were fo"nd in

ore than P50 towns and ci&es, in PU states and

territories of the nited States and .#e Ganadian

'ro#inces( We are failiar with soe of this

geogra'hy–the Jaci.c 7orthwest, the "''er ;idwest,

the 7ortheastern teC&le beltYb"t seeing the density

of ac&#ity in Hlahoa, 3eCas, Indiana, and Hhio is eye

o'ening( So is the IWWVs 'lace in 7ew Mor Gity which

hosted do*ens of "nions and any stries, incl"ding

one by the ;acaroni Worers Ind"strial nion 7o(

P01( 3he city was also hoe to se#enteen IWW

aFliated news'a'ers '"blished in se#en lang"ages(

3he IWW =istory Jro8ect is a collabora&#e e@ort(

Scholars are contrib"&ng data and short essays(

4enyon Zier co'iled infora&on abo"t ninety

IWW news'a'ers when researching his new boo,

Iigrants %gainst the StateO Middish and Italian

%narchis in %erica( 3hat data has becoe the basis

for a set of a's and charts( Jeter Gole contrib"ted an

essay on Jhiladel'hiaVs ocal U, the s"r'risingly

s"ccessf"l local that bro"ght together 6lac and White

docworers(

St"dents at the ni#ersity of Washington ha#e also

contrib"ted( ndergrad"ates in y "''er di#ision

co"rse, “Glass, abor, and %erican Ga'italis,!

created the yearboo database, reading IWW

'"blica&ons year by year, recording and describing

IWW ac&ons, tracing local "nions( Hther st"dents

ha#e contrib"ted essays on ey e#ents and iss"es(

Gonor Gasey co-directs the 'ro8ect

and has arshaled the reso"rces

of the abor %rchi#es of

Washington and ni#ersity ofWashington ibraries( 3he 'ro8ect

website is a gateway to h"ndreds

of rare 'hotogra'hs and

doc"ents that ha#e been

digi&*ed by the ibrary(

3he online 'ro8ect is intended as a

teaching tool as well as a reso"rce

for scholars( % brief

historyA&eline introd"ces ey

e#ents in the early decades of theIWW while lining to ore

detailed acco"nts( 3he interac&#e

a's and charts /based on

3ablea" J"blic soware lend

thesel#es to classroo 'resenta&ons and are

es'ecially good for o"t-of-class assignents( St"dents

can eC'lore 'ar&c"lar to'ics or geogra'hies on their

la'to's( NC'loring the ore than 100 incidents rela&ng

to IWW free s'eech ca'aigns wo"ld be a good

assignent( Hr st"dents can "se the .lters to trac

e#ents in 'ar&c"lar states or regions(

3he IWW =istory Jro8ect welcoes new collaborators(

=ere is a chance to breathe new life into old

'"blica&ons( ;any of "s ha#e research data that

co"ldnVt be "sed e@ec&#ely in boos and 'rinted

ar&cles( etVs '"t it online where new readers can tae

ad#antage of infora&on that has been lost or hidden(

We wo"ld lo#e to hel' yo" #is"ali*e and '"blish old or

new research( Jlease contact co-director aes

Eregory at gregory8"w(ed"(

http://lawcha.org/wordpress/2015/11/07/mapping-the-iww/

http://depts.washington.edu/iww/


http://lawcha.org/wordpress/2015/11/07/mapping-the-iww/

http://depts.washington.edu/iww/




10

9ro Incarcerated Worer

/the newsle+er of the Incarcerated Worer organi*ing Goi+ee,

iss"e 2, S"er 2015



11

hy Should Free orld

orkers Care About

Prisoners?

/fro Incarcerated Worer, iss"e 2, S"er 2015

While the a8ority of 'risoners coi+ed cries toend "' in 'rison, we ha#e to ee' in ind that the

eCtreely wealthy who control the “coanding

heights! of the econoy ha#e created des'erate

sit"a&ons that lead to crie( Jo#erty, cr"bling

schools, wides'read "ne'loyent and "nder-

e'loyent-- these are all condi&ons created by a

aldistrib"&on of wealth and 'ower( Jrisons, then,

are a way to '"nish those witho"t o''ort"ni&es

'risons '"nish those e@ected while gi#ing a free 'ass

to the wealthy who are the ca"se of crie(

While the #ast a8ority of 'risoners coit cries to

end "' in 'rison, we also ha#e to ee' in ind that

go#ernent has criinali*ed 8"st abo"t e#ery h"an

ac&#ity( 3he (S( has ore criinal stat"tes than any

other na&on in history( %s a conse$"ence, selec&#e

enforceent of these laws in 'oor areas where 'olice

are ost hea#ily concentrated ser#es 'oli&cal,

econoic, and deogra'hic interests totally "nrelated

to crie or crie control( 3he ore “radical! eleent

who ay 'ose a challenge to the wealthy and

'owerf"l is silenced and ne"trali*ed while ore

wealth and 'ower is concentrated in fewer and fewer

hands(

3he 'rison ind"strial co'leC has created a ind of

“third world colony! right here in the nited States(

Jrison systes o"tso"rce 'risoners for sla#e labor to

a8or cor'ora&ons for 'ennies 'er day( Jrisoners

'erfor data entry and wor a"to ind"stry 8obs that

"sed to belong to free world worers( 3h e worers

le "ne'loyed becoe the des'erate criinals of

toorrow, geBng loced "' and geBng their old

"nion 8ob bac((( in the 'rison factory((( for 'ennies 'erday[

3hose in 'rison today are yo"r neighbors toorrow(

9reed 'risoners wonVt li#e in gated co"ni&es with

9ort"ne 500 eCec"&#es freed 'risoners o#e in neCt

door to yo"( %s a 'rac&cal $"es&on, do yo" want a

fellow worer with co"nity ac&#is and labor

organi*ing eC'erience o#ing neCt door and "sing

those sills to create a f"nc&onal life, or wo"ld yo"

'refer a bi+er, des'erate, "ne'loyable criinal with

no 'ros'ects and li+le or nothing to lose?

3he odern 'rison syste is the go#ernentVs “canary

in the coal ine(! %ll of the strategies and tac&cs for

s"r#eillance, crowd control, and 'o'"la&on

'aci.ca&on ha#e been 'erfected on 'risoner

'o'"la&ons before being e'loyed in the free world(

;ass s"r#eillance incl"ding centrali*ed onitoring #ia

sec"rity caeras and the collec&on of co"nica&ons

eta-data originate in 'rison res'onse tac&cs s"ch as

the "se of tasers and 'e''er s'ray, “e+ling! "nr"ly

obs, and fora&ons of 'halanCes behind riot shields

all arise fro correc&ons a''lica&ons( N#en the "se of

tort"re was e'loyed on 'risoners before going

ainstrea( =ow a"thori&es ha#e '"shed 'risoners is

soon how the a"thori&es '"sh the worers( So, the

condi&ons that 'risoners are allowed to s"@er todaybecoe the condi&ons i'osed on worers toorrow(

Jersonal feelings abo"t crie aside, the interests of

worers and the woring class are bo"nd together

with the interests of 'risoners( In fact, those who tr"ly

wo"ld lie to see crie diinish sho"ld wor for

'risoner-worer solidarity, e'owering 'risoners and

eC'anding the labor aret, widening o''ort"ni&es

and 'ros'erity that 'ose as a real alterna&#e to crie(

Incarcerated orker Organizing

Committee Statement of Purpose

uly !"# $%"&

1/ 3o f"rther the re#ol"&onary goals of incarcerated 'eo'le

and the IWW thro"gh "t"al organi*ing of a worldwide

"nion for eanci'a&on fro the 'rison syste(

/ 3o b"ild class solidarity aongst ebers of the woring

class by connec&ng the

str"ggle of 'eo'le in 'rison, 8ails, and iigrant and

8"#enile deten&on centers to worers str"ggles locally and

worldwide(

</ 3o strategically and tac&cally s"''ort 'risoners locallyand worldwide, incor'ora&ng an analysis of white

s"'reacy, 'atriarchy, 'rison c"lt"re, and ca'italis(

:/ 3o ac&#ely str"ggle to end the criinali*a&on,

eC'loita&on, and ensla#eent of woring class 'eo'le,

which dis'ro'or&onately targets 'eo'le of color,

iigrants, 'eo'le with low incoe, E63) 'eo'le, yo"ng

'eo'le, dissidents, and those with ental illness(

;/ 3o a'lify the #oices of woring class 'eo'le in 'rison,

es'ecially those engaging in collec&#e ac&on or who '"t

their own li#es at ris to i'ro#e the condi&ons of all(



12

Milwaukee IWW Fighting

Against Child Protective

Services Abuses

by ;iel 4oba

3he ;ilwa"ee IWW Eeneral ;ebershi' branch

ba+les ca'italisVs doinance on a #ariety of

fronts( We are woring on tenant rights iss"es,

doing direct ac&on trainings with 4aren 'eo'le

fro ;yanar, 'ro#iding s"''ort for 'risoners,

hos&ng onthly sillshares, and are of co"rse

in#ol#ed in wor'lace organi*ing( H"r ost

recently fored woring gro"' foc"ses on child

welfare in8"s&ces( In ;ilwa"ee, ost 8obs in the“Ghild Jrotec&#e Ser#ices! /GJS ind"stry are in

'ri#ate agencies that s"bcontract with the state of

Wisconsin( 3he bosses of these agencies ae

oney in e#ery as'ect

in the child welfare

syste fro hoe

#isits, to child reo#als,

to foster care

'laceents, to

andatory classes(

Ghild welfare 'ro.teers

target failies for child

reo#al beca"se of

hoelessness, 'o#erty,

learning disabili&es,

and ental illness(

;any GJS s"'er#isors and bosses ha#e biases

against 'eo'le of di@erent race, c"lt"re and class(

When GJS bosses conLate being 'oor or ha#ing

ental illness with being an "n.t 'arent, theytear a'art failies( 3his is illegal( 6eing 'oor does

not cons&t"te child ab"se or neglect( 3here is

li+le acco"ntability for within the GJS

b"rea"cracy to #erify whether bosses and worers

are following the law when reo#ing children(

3he agency with the largest contract fro the

<i#ision of ;ilwa"ee GJS is GhildrenVs =os'ital

Go"nity Ser#ices( GhildrenVs =os'ital has

increasingly been targe&ng others for ;inority

Re'ort-es$"e “'re-crie,! in which they tae a

newborn child fro their other while in the

hos'ital, when clearly no ab"se has occ"rred(

3hey recently too U-ho"r-old Zion fro hisother, ashai, witho"t an acc"sa&on of ab"se or

neglect( In the onths that followed ZionVs

reo#al, ashai has s'oen o"t against GhildrenVs

=os'ital, saying she was targeted beca"se she is

blac and has a learning disability( While 'eo'le of

color only ae "' thirty-se#en 'ercent of the

(S( 'o'"la&on, .y-three 'ercent of children

forcibly reo#ed fro their hoes and '"t into

foster care are children of color( Jro.t and

're8"dice is a dangero"s cobina&on(

<es'ite ee&ng all condi&ons that the agency

bosses and GhildrenVs Go"rt deanded of her,

they ref"se to gi#e ashai her

baby bac( We organi*ed a

'icet o"tside GhildrenVs

=os'ital Go"nity Ser#icesV

f"ndraiser in 7o#eber and are

'lanning ore in the f"t"re(

When an agency lie GhildrenVs

=os'ital Go"nity Ser#icestaes a child fro their hoe,

the agency legally becoes a

“cor'orate g"ardian!( So now

cor'ora&ons, when they dee a

'arent to be "nworthy, can not

only tae a child fro their

lo#ing 'arent, b"t also 6NGH;N

the 'arent( Gor'ora&ons are now 'eo'le %7<

'arents(

3he second largest agency that s"bcontracts with

the state is Saint%( Saint% "sed to be called a

Ga"sa Ghild Welfare( 3hey changed their when a

baby died while in their care and another child

was eCtensi#ely ab"sed( 7ot "ch has changed(

%t a '"blic hearing at the end of last year, Saint%

re'resenta&#es adi+ed that two children

recently died that were "nder their res'onsibility(

7o 'oli&cians or agency heads 'resent at the



13

hearing ased any $"es&ons of these deaths( 3hey

were seen as acce'table losses in a syste that

#al"es 'ro.t o#er childrenVs li#es( 3he ;ilwa"ee

child welfare e'ire is now worth :150 illion(

Gindy, who is learning disabled, had her son taenby 'ri#a&*ed child welfare agencies( GindyVs son,

Sa, is se#erely entally and 'hysically disabled

and has s"@ered any in8"ries while "nder the

“care! of his cor'orate g"ardian while they ae

assi#e 'ro.t( Hnce a child is in foster care, they

are sta&s&cally siC &es ore liely to be

s"b8ected to ab"se than at hoe( %er ha#ing her

faily #ic&i*ed by these agencies, Gindy began

organi*ing other others to stand "' for their

own failies( She gets others to 8oin any of o"rac&ons, co"nity s'ea-o"ts, and sillshares(

%t a recent '"blic hearing, "dge

3ra8iano of GhildrenVs Go"rt in

;ilwa"ee Go"nty told "s that

children were any &es being

taen fro their hoes d"e to

r"ors, and not act"ally d"e to

'roof of ab"se or neglect(

<es'ite adiBng this, 3ra8iano

s&ll s"''orts this "n8"st systeand con&n"es reo#ing

children for their hoes(

;any IWW ebers ha#ing

been going to co"rt with

others and face 8"dges lie

3ra8iano who ha#e li+le interest

in act"ally 'ro#ing acc"sa&ons

of ab"se or neglect( N#eryone in

the co"rt syste blindly bows

down to the is8"dgents of 'ri#ate agencieswhich are allowed to act as co"rt oFcials in e#ery

ste' of the legal 'rocess( N#en the '"blic

defenderVs oFce in ;ilwa"ee Go"nty GhildrenVs

Go"rt has been 'ri#a&*ed( awyers are 'aid to

re'resent 'eo'le with lower incoes b"t are

s"b8ect to no acco"ntability( ;others and others

who ha#e been falsely acc"sed of ab"se or

neglect ha#e no one on their side(

In 1TTD, 3e'orary %ssistance for 7eedy 9ailies

was 'ri#a&*ed in Wisconsin( Jri#ate agencies then

now res'onsible for welfare ser#ices( Welfare

becae “welfare-to-wor! /W-2 and f"nds were

reg"larly denied to failies in need, es'ecially

failies of color( Soon aer, the state beganallowing child welfare to be 'ri#a&*ed( 3%79 f"nds

that were originally going towards welfare for the

'oor now started going towards foster 'arents,

'riarily in the s"b"rbs( Ghildren fro

'redoinantly 'oor failies were now being

taen fro their hoes by 'ri#ate agency bosses

and 'i'elined into the s"b"rbs where the wealthy

are 'aid to care for the( TP\ of failies who

ado't foster ids thro"gh the child welfare syste

recei#e a onthly welfare chec no a+er how

their le#el of wealth(

3he cor'orate, white anVs

edia con&n"es to hide these

tr"ths fro the '"blic(

Gorades with the child welfare

woring gro"' of the ;ilwa"ee

IWW ha#e been 'ice&ng

'ri#a&*ed W-2 and child welfare

agencies( We s'ea with any

child welfare worers abo"torgani*ing against their bossesV

corr"'&on( 3ogether with o"r

allies at Welfare Warriors and

Gasa ;aria Gatholic Worer, we

ha#e o'ened a ho"se for

others and others who ha#e

been "nfairly targeted by

;ilwa"ee GJS( 3his ho"se

'ro#ides a 'lace to li#e for

hoeless others and failies facing GJS ab"seand is a center for resistance in the GJS war on

the 'oor(

3he str"ggle con&n"es(

;iel 4oba

Gorade fro IWW ;ilwa"ee



14

The Sanders Campaign and

Beyond: A Brief Commentary

by <a#id Willias

%s of last fall it was re'orted that the Wisconsin state

%9-GIH was already in bed with =illary Glintons

na&onal ca'aign coi+ee( 3hen the na&onal

%9SG;N endorsed her well ahead of the 'riaries( 6"t

6ernie Sanders 9eel the 6ern a''ears to ha#e

to"ched any So"th Gentral 9edera&on of abor

ac&#ist ty'es and a large swath of other ;adison-area

'rogressi#es( Narlier on "ly 1st 10,000 'eo'le

enth"sias&cally t"rned-o"t to hear Sanders at his .rst

ca'aign a''earance in ;adison and his s"''ort was

"bi$"ito"s at the

9igh&ng 6ob 9est inSe'teber(

;y brief coentary

here is 'enned a few

days ahead of the Iowa

ca"c"ses( Sanders co"ld

win in both Iowa and

7ew =a'shire, which

wo"ld be a big blow to

=illarys earlier

'res"'&#ecandidate stat"s and gi#e f"rther oent" to the

Sanders ca'aign( =owe#er, Glinton is baning on a

So"thern Strategy of winning ost of the 6lac and

a&n #ote in those states, which co"ld loc-"' the

noina&on for her( 3he Sanders ca'aign is now

woring belatedly and fe#erishly to ae inroads in

these states thro"gh sa##y social edia and 6lac

celebri&es and ac&#ists who ha#e recently coe on

board his ca'aign, so we cant r"le o"t f"rther gains

by Sanders(

Sanders s&ll sees a #ery long shot for winning the

<eocra&c 'residen&al noina&on( ;ost readers of

Jrairie 9ire are well aware of the se#ere de.ciencies of

Sanders 'oli&cal 'osi&ons ,es'ecially on (S(

ilitaris and i'erialis( %side fro the oral

'robles these 'ose, Sanders lac of 'rogressi#is on

ilitaris and i'erialis co"ld fatally "nderine any

serio"s e@ort to act"ally f"nd the does&c 'rogras

he is calling for( 6"t ost 'ro-Sanders 'rogressi#es

ha#e decided to o#erloo this enoro"s 'roble and

ho'e for whate#er can be gleaned fro Sanders

does&c 'osi&ons whether he gets to the White

=o"se or not(

Soe of "s radical-le diehards are s&ll con#inced thatthe Sanders ca'aign will e#ent"ally crash against the

reali&es of cor'orate and 'l"tocra&c control of the

<eocra&c Jarty and the general 'oli&cal 'rocess in

%erica( We "st, nonetheless, weigh the short- and

long-ter conse$"ences of Sanders raising the

conscio"sness of illions of %ericans abo"t the need

for "ni#ersal healthcare, f"nding higher ed"ca&on,

reg"la&ng the bans, taCing the wealthy, etc( While his

ca'aign is te'orarily rein#igora&ng the cor'orate-

doinated <eocra&c Jarty, what will coe o"t of

the "l&ate

disa''ointent of those'rogressi#e ho'es?

If Sanders doesnt win the

noina&on, ost

'rogressi#es will liely

“hold their noses! and

s"''ort Glinton against

whate#er eCtree right-

wing troglodyte the

Re'"blicans noinate(

9or the longer ter, we"st consider the 'ossibility that heightened /and

then disa''ointed '"blic awareness abo"t the

does&c iss"es Sanders has raised co"ld hel'

gerinate a new Hcc"'y-ty'e radical o#eent

which wo"ld then decide to by'ass the cor'orate-

controlled 'oli&cal syste and resort to direct ac&on

in the wor'laces and in the streets(

S"ch a o#eent will be needed no a+er who is in

the White =o"se star&ng in 201Q, and o"r tas now is

to ed"cate and 're'are for that as "rgent econoicand social 'robles loo larger and reain

"nresol#ed(

/<isclaierO in accordance with o"r cons&t"&on the

IWW endorses no 'oli&cal 'ar&es or candidates, nor

does the IWW endorse an&-electoralis( ;ebers

are, of co"rse, free to do as they see .t in elec&ons(

--<W, an 2Dth 201D



15

Join the Madison IWW Today!

3he IWW is a "nion for all worers, a "nion dedicated to organi*ing

on the 8ob, in o"r ind"stries and in o"r co"ni&es both to win

be+er condi&ons today and to b"ild a world witho"t bosses, a

world in which 'rod"c&on and distrib"&on are organi*ed by

worers o"rsel#es to eet the needs of the en&re 'o'"la&on, not

erely a handf"l of eC'loiters(

We are the Ind"strial Worers of the World beca"se we organi*e

ind"strially – that is to say, we organi*e all worers on the 8ob into

one "nion, rather than di#iding worers by trade, so that we can

'ool o"r strength to .ght the bosses together(

Since the IWW was fo"nded in 1T05, we ha#e recogni*ed the need

to b"ild a tr"ly interna&onal "nion o#eent in order to confront

the global 'ower of the bosses and in order to strengthen worersV

ability to stand in solidarity with o"r fellow worers no a+er

what 'art of the globe they ha''en to li#e on(

We are a "nion o'en to all worers, whether or not the IWW

ha''ens to ha#e re'resenta&on rights in yo"r wor'lace( We

organi*e the worer, not the 8ob, recogni*ing that "nionis is not

abo"t go#ernent cer&.ca&on or e'loyer recogni&on b"t abo"t

worers coing together to address o"r coon concerns(

Soe&es this eans striing or signing a contract( Soe&es it

eans ref"sing to wor with an "nsafe achine or following the

bossesV orders so literally that nothing gets done( Soe&es it

eans agita&ng aro"nd 'ar&c"lar iss"es or grie#ances in a s'eci.c

wor'lace, or across an ind"stry(

6eca"se the IWW is a deocra&c, eber-r"n "nion, decisions

abo"t what iss"es to address and what tac&cs to '"rs"e are ade

by the worers directly in#ol#ed(

;ee&ngs are on the .rst ;onday of each onth, DOP0 J;, at

;adison 3eachers, Inc((, U21 Williason St(, ;adison /enter in the

bac( Mo" can send e-ail toO "t"alaidnetworgail(co

8reamble o he IWW BonsCuCon

3he woring class and the e'loying class ha#e nothing in

coon( 3here can be no 'eace so long as h"nger and want are

fo"nd aong illions of the woring 'eo'le and the few, who

ae "' the e'loying class, ha#e all the good things of life(

6etween these two classes a str"ggle "st go on "n&l the worers

of the world organi*e as a class, tae 'ossession of the eans of

'rod"c&on, abolish the wage syste, and li#e in harony with the

Narth(

We .nd that the centering of the anageent of ind"stries into

fewer and fewer hands aes the trade "nions "nable to co'e

with the e#er growing 'ower of the e'loying class( 3he trade

"nions foster a state of a@airs which allows one set of worers to

be 'i+ed against another set of worers in the sae ind"stry,

thereby hel'ing defeat one another in wage wars( ;oreo#er, the

trade "nions aid the e'loying class to islead the worers into

the belief that the woring class ha#e interests in coon with

their e'loyers(

3hese condi&ons can be changed and the interest of the woring

class "'held only by an organi*a&on fored in s"ch a way that all

its ebers in any one ind"stry, or in all ind"stries if necessary,

cease wor whene#er a strie or loco"t is on in any de'artent

thereof, th"s aing an in8"ry to one an in8"ry to all(

Instead of the conser#a&#e o+o, % fair days wage for a fair days

wor, we "st inscribe on o"r banner the re#ol"&onary

watchword, %boli&on of the wage syste(

It is the historic ission of the woring class to do away with

ca'italis( 3he ary of 'rod"c&on "st be organi*ed, not only for

e#eryday str"ggle with ca'italists, b"t also to carry on 'rod"c&onwhen ca'italis shall ha#e been o#erthrown( 6y organi*ing

ind"strially we are foring the str"ct"re of the new society within

the shell of the old(

#& 0&IN> ;ail this for with a chec or oney order for ini&a&on and yo"r .rst onthVs d"es toO

Madison IWW 6M7, 8/&/ 7o ::, Madison, WI ;<=!1Ini&a&on is the sae as one onthVs d"es( H"r d"es are calc"lated according to yo"r incoe(

If yo"r onthly incoe is "nder :2000, d"es are :11 a onth(

If yo"r onthly incoe is between :2000 and :P500, d"es are :22 a onth(

If yo"r onthly incoe is o#er :P500 a onth, d"es are :PP a onth(

]]]]I aFr that I a a worer, and that I a not an e'loyer(

]]]]I agree to abide by the IWW cons&t"&on(

]]]]I will st"dy its 'rinci'les and ac$"aint yself with its '"r'oses(

7aeO ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]

%ddressO ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]

Gity, State, ZIJ GodeO ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]

Hcc"'a&onO ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]

N'loyerO]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]

JhoneO ]]]]]]]]]]]]]] eailO ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]

%o"nt enclosedO ]]]]]]]]]]];ebershi' incl"des a s"bscri'&on to to Prairie Fire and an electronic s"bscri'&on to the Industrial Worker, newsle+er of the IWW(






16

HEAR YE, HEAR YE!So, heres o"r new branch newsle+er(

9irst, a co"'le anno"nceents( Hne big anno"nceent is

that IWW d"es ha#e gone "'( Jlease see 'age Q for details(

%lso, we are coing "' on the .h anni#ersary of the

“Wisconsin 'rising,! so there will be a disc"ssion for"

called, “9i#e Mears %erO essons of the Wisconsin 'rising of

2011! at a Jeregrine 9or" o'en ic on 3h"rsday 9ebr"ary

1Uth, DOP0 J;, at the ;adison J"blic ibrary, 201 W( ;i^in St(,

Roo 10>( %ll are welcoe( 9or ore infora&on, call D0U-

2U>-T0U2 or send an e-ail to d#dwillias51tds(net(

In the newsle+er, we ha#e a brief wra'-"' of 2015 and a loo

ahead to 201D, with ideas for 'ro8ects we want to wor on a

'oster /on 'age 5 and a few “silent agitator! s&cers /on 'age

P that yo" can co'y and 'ost in o''ort"ne loca&ons a s"ary of the oe =ill to"r an introd"c&on to the

IWW =istory Jro8ect a s"ary of the ;ilwa"ee IWWs str"ggle against Ghild 'rotec&#e Ser#ices ab"ses in

their co"nity an introd"c&on to the Incarcerated Worer Hrgani*ing Goi+ee, which wed lie to get

ore in#ol#ed with a brief coentary on the 'residen&al elec&on that will get so "ch a+en&on this year

and a song that we ada'ted for the 4ohler strie, incl"ded in the songboo we '"t together for that strie(

Nn8oyK

IWW – Madison Branch

P.O. Box 2442

Madison, WI

53701

USA




prairie fire (new year 2016)

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