bread & roses may 2006

Btead

0ses

IWW magazine

1t

fiY

tl

t.

L' . ;L'

,?

,,\A...*..{

?'q

-l

.e

-.#Ei.

I

6'

qtol

F4

{'

'€

-r

,.

-Ll

*-

1d

,:f

â‚Ź

2

tsnuadl

& Roses

magaziue of th.e Ind,ustrial Yorkers of the llor].d. British Isles

Page 3: Welcome to Bread & Roses; The bridge, the balloon and the bar Page 4: LondonWobblies celebrate and plan Page 5: IWW Solidarity Unionism Page 6: Paternity rip-off

Yol.2 issue 8 May 2006 Editorial commlttee: Bread & Roses Collective Thanks to: Peter Moore, Dan Jakopovich, llyan, Dek Keenan, Phil Wharton The views expressed in 'Bread & Roses'do not necessarily express the views of the Editorial committee or the lndustrial Workers of the World (lWW) British lsles ROC, All views are of the individual unless otherwise stated.

Page 7: Understanding education to wealth; 8 ways not to be afraid Page 8/9:Union scores big victory against Starbucks

Page l0: Stop the BNP Page I I: Joint cardholding; Page 12: iMIW: We remember the Haymarket Martyrs Page 13/I4/15: Meet the Haymarket Martyrs Page 16: Music review; Workers Beer Company

We welcome contributions, suggestions, articles, cartoons, pictures and anything else you think your fellow workers may find of interest.

Page t7:Workplace safety watehdog refuses to bite; Workplaces are less safe without unions

Please write to: 'Bread & Roses'lWW PO Box 74 Brighton BN1 4ZQ, UK

Page 19:Join the I\A M

Page 18: I\ nM Merchandise

email: info@iww.org.uk

Subscriptions The cost of a five issue subscription is as follows:

Brcad & R0ses is your magazine, which means you need to contribute to it!

uK t10 ......

Europe 815 ......

Rest of the World â‚Ź16 .-...

Email or write for bulk discount rates.

Please send cheques/postal order/cash to address above.

V.

c4

Alternatively, if you live in Britain or lreland, joining the IWW will give you an automatic free subscription to Bread & Roses.

Your news, views, opinions, articles

cartoons, images are all required to make future issues a success.

Dont worry about grammar or anything else this is a workers magazine we want information from you!

See contact details on the left"

3

Welcome t0 Bread and [oses tlau llay eilition 2006! elcorne io Bread and Roses May Day editioa 2006! Last year, the Indtstrlal Workera of the World

celebrated its Centenary - 100 years of working class resistance and solidarity.

El.$

Founded 1905 in the home of the Haymarket Martyrs, Chicago, the IWW was a working class organization like none other.Women and men of all colorus and backgrounds came together to create a working class union that wor:Id fight for gains on the short-term and emancipation from wage slavery in the Iong-term.

"Abolition of the wage system" remains our watchword.

Workers continue to be paid only a portion of what their combined labour produces for capitalist industry.

Whether you work at Tesco or HSBC or Starbucks or a foundation hospital, you know well that your pay is less because the executives'pay is more. In the United Kingdom today, we continue to see how the working class and the employing class have nothing in common. From the General Strike of 1926 to the Miners Strike of 1984 to the sacking of Rover workers to the Gate Gourmet,/BA wildcat, workers continue to struggle for survival, work, and dignity.

This year, the Industrial Workers of the World (fVW[) is readying itself to organize workers in the British Isles.

MfW groups are organizing themselves in London, Tyne & Wear, and Bradford alongside the branches chartered in Glasgow, Edinbwgh and Brighton.

I

The Certification Office will include the tilfW in its list of recognized trade unions. This acknowledgement, in itself, is significant only in that it announces the IMfW's formal intention to organize workers in the United Kingdom. That has always been our aim. There are too many workers in Britain facing working conditions they

ilt

began on a winter Sunday afternoon on the banks of

ilthe Tyne. ln a bracing wind, the Secretary

could do without. If the British trade union movement cannot or won't organize them, the IWW urges these workers to organize themselves as members of a courageous and militant working class that isn't compromised by its

of the IWW

iBritisn lsles Regional Organising Committee, two Wobs i(yours truly being one of them) and a potential recruit imet in Gateshead to talk about the future. By the end of ithe meeting, we were three willing members of the iembryonic Tyne and Wear General Members Branch of :the lndustrial Workers of the World. iThe BIROC Secretary had taken the wise step of inflatiing a red and black IWW balloon and walking with it in ilront of him, so we others would know who he was. inese were people who had not actually met each other ps a group. ln fact, I'd never met any of them. As we sslLle..r.s9...e!'.9,..1rn9-l!p..p-*19--o.r.,-hp-.lF.tinfing.-eJ-{..piHs.9.......

political party alliances.

The IVIW British Isles has formed an organizing committee that will conduct IW'W trainings and assist workers to orgranize themselves.

The IWW is a do-it-yourself union that believes the working class has the resources, strength and tenacity to define and defend its own interests. Capitalists continue to divide workers and create a dependence that saps our dignity and future prospects. People are not having children because they feel they calnot support them. Is this not a social crisis?

In March 2006, the IWW scored a victory in its drive to organize Starbucks in NewYork. Starbucks lost its case before the United States'National Labor Relation Board and had to re-hire coffee baristas fired for ulion activities. Union activists wore their IWW badges to work in celebration. It shows how a small group of determined workers who have local and international solidarity can strike a blow for themselves and their class.

We are inspired by our FellowWorkers across the Atlantic.With courage and determination, the Starbucks Union members have overcome managerial and police harassment to push back an arrogant global company.We urge trade unionists and workers of all types to join the IWW and build a radical industrial union alternative in the UK. For the workers,

Peter Moore Secretary, IltrNV British Isles ieW'blirik5A :vi;hicfi lfii6 ij5rii'Cr' ular Wob found very auspicious, as I'd just walked over it (the bridge, not the balloon) seconds before.

From then on, it was plain sailing.

We crossed the bridge to Newcastle and found a quiet back room in a quayside pub. The potential recruit was actually recruited (zero arm twisting), and the Secretary gave advice on setting up a GMB. Since then, we've met a few times, got the forms to fill in, printed leaflets and recruited other members. Just like that. So, here's to the One Big Union, Tyne and Wear branch -

Phil

cheers!

IE F{

CD

E' i i : :

,.......................i

E-

Ra

F e v, CD

v,

4

London Wobblies celebrate and plan 9y

1*,qi::ar'^*'-'r"l*

reU"topoyt*, !:.l9ql YW

n the Sth November last year, the newly established London tVifW group held an IWW centenary celebration at the RampART squatted social centre in East London. It was our first public event where the core group, which was established a few months before, had a general presentation of its ideals, goals and methods.

The high point of the evening was the discussion on building autonomous workers' resistance in London.

This was largely centred around trying to draw on previous experiences, such as the Iessons of the Gate Gourmet dispute, which confirmed the importance of militant rank-and-file unionism as the only realistic means of annulling the present laws against solidarity strikes. The grassroots democratic model of the Workmates Collective of West London tube workers was also ..........it is high

mentioned.

tutes a potentially explosive mix which could compliment a general upsurge in working-class combativeness.

One of the prominent issues raised in the discussion (particularly by disenchanted, yet active members of the business unions) revolved around the benefits of dual membership (which the IWW allows), time the and. the need for a core group of the most & unionists who could British libertarian left militant workers more easily develop rank-and-file factions started embracing and networks in and across their unions, workers' struggles, simultaneously helping to provide the with a larger pool of experience, agitation & IVWV resources and access to rank-and-file Ofganising union members (and in turn increasing the chances for building stronger and new Dan Jakopovich workplace resistance groups).

We considered drawing on the tradition of minority,/solidarity unionism, the Paris Solidarity Collective and, similarly, the concept and practice of flying squads/pickets. In addition to the benefits propagated by Shantz and Levant, flying squads,/pickets can also contribute to, among other things, the creation of an authentic "community of resistance" - greater cooperation, coordination and

general interaction within "the broader

movement";

linking groups and struggles which have previously been isolated ald disconnected, or at least failed to live up to their potential. However, there is also a danger of stagnating and inward-turning flying sguads slipping into "activist" roles, followed by gradual disassociation from the workers

tially great bargaining power of the many service industries closely tied to the Olympics; all this consti-

themselves.

again.

Obviously, there are many other strategic and tactical considerations and possibilities, many of which are typical of the approach the MfW is famous for. One thing is certain - there is no substitute for challenging the labour dry spell, and it is high time the British libertarian Ieft started. embracing workers,struggles, agitation & organising again. I believe the IWW in London has an important role to play in these efforts.

www'tww'org/en/Drancnes/u$/Lonqon

PRE-MAYDAY EVENT with the

A 92 3 fv, oU E 6rg

<l)

tx

ca

We agreed that serious and ongoing strategising is lndustrial Workers of the World needed, which should involve openness to the labourSATURDAY 29th APRIL community model of organising. The unfolding "regenTHE SQUARE OCCUPIED SOCIAL CENTRE eration" (gentrification) of East London - further legit2l Russell Square imised and accelerated by ltre 2Ol2 London Olympics with its concomitant council tax rise;property values 4 pm - WORKPLACE ORGANISING TRAINING and rents skyrocketing, effectively driving workingwith Adam Lincoln, IWW dual carder and experienced trade unionist; class people out of the city to the outskirts (a phenom6pm - 80th anniversary commemoralion of the 1926 GENERAL SfRIKE enon already familiar to many Cockneys after the Presentation: The bitter lochout Days of hope in the General Strike, "regeneration" of the Docklands in the 60s, 70s & 80s) and the betrayal by the TUC - Dave Douglass, NUtul & Wobbly coupled with tens of thousands of expected new, mostveteran ly Eastern European (hyper-exploited) building workwith cookies and Zapatista caffee ers; relatively militant transport workers and the potenOrganised by the LONDON IWW

5

IWW $oliilafity Unionism Blle_1.-.q"r-.M.,_o_g-r--e-

worklng people want to see results.lfhat we need to realise is that we, oulselyes, are the only ones wto can get the results we want: frnprotreurent. Chaage. Eope of ch'nge. e

The fWW is rooted in the lessons of its own experience.With I01 years of it, we have a bit to draw on. And we have big goals.

a We want the abolition of capi talism and wage slavery. a We want a safe environment and a sustainable planet. o We want to end patriarchy. a We want the human family to overcome its racism, hatreds and blood feuds.

a

We want everyone to live healthy lives and fu-lfil their potential - in each life lies the seeds of a new world. o We want solidarity to become a guiding principle in everyone's lives.

say to people is:What do you plan

to do? Simply handing this responsibility to people makes them realize they do have a choice. An IVWV

organizer presents options based on their experience and knowledge - but only the people who will face any consec1rences have the right to choose what they will do.

A Thousand Srnall

Victories

Waiting

The IWW has been aroun,d for over I00 years, but the Wobblies aren't experts: we're not "silver bullet" labour consultants or'professional' organizers. And we're not going to organize anyone who doesn't want to organize themselves.

We're just ordinary working people who do what working people do best. Learn and Adapt. Fight back.

Persist impatiently. Agitate.

Organize.

In order to organize, you need to approach people from their own point of view. There is no point in preaching about a revolutionary pie in the sky: you may as well talk about UFOs, We want people to learn from expe-

rience. And the only experience that matters is for each person to tackle how the current order erodes their daily lives, in their workplaces and in their communities.

The IVYW wants people to understand that the ruling class will make all of the choices that the working class abandons or refuses to make.

So when people want results, the

first thing an IWW organizer will

A revolution comes through many small victories. In one of my workplaces, part-time workers lobbied for six months to get a microwave.

The reason was simple: we wanted to eat affordable, home-cooked meals.When the boss had it bought, the workers then had to Iobby to open it up. But this simple way of improving people's working conditions was on the bottom of the boss'Iist. Our interests didr't coincide. One day, I was hungry, had a meal that would taste better heated, and unpacked the microwave.Yum. By setting up that microwave, I made my life better and improved others'lives as they started to use it.

There are a thousand small victories waiting for us.We need to identify working people's interests, overcome our fears and take small risks to benefit owselves and start

building solidarity on the job.

Open Yourself to Solidarity At another small workplace, contract renewals were always done on the sly and individually.We workers knew the compary was in trouble, so when we individually found wording changed on our new contracts that re-classed some workers as part-time, alarm bells rang.

Cautiously at first, we asked each other if anybody had the same changes.We compared our contracts, identified our corrunon issues and came up with a plan.We demanded a staff meeting.

Although we didn't have everybody on-side, we effectively bargained collectively, presented our demands and won. The boss conceded everything we demanded, and we gained a guarantee about better inJormation sharing. When we talked to each other, we opened ourselves to solidarity. And solidarity led to a small victory for us.

Neither of the workplaces I've described above were unionized.

Most workplaces today are small to medium-sized and not unionized.

The IVIfW calls this model of informal organizing and action as'solidarity rmionism'. By organizing a small group of workers to act together to improve these workplaces, we can give people a view of what is possible and show them that people have the courage to demand change.

t, -tfD

D'

-F

w e TA

(D

u,

6

PaternitU Riu.o[I= Children are more i6port0nt than politics

By Peter V"oolg

UK up to par with other European countries. lceland gives fathers three paid leave at 80% of salary and Denmark mom and dad to share one year of paid leave. ln many nglish fathers don't take their ternity leave at all, because there isn't an emPloYer toP-uP the minimum benefit.

or many people, maternitY and paternity benefits do not become important until theY are expecting a child. lt's a shortsighted reality that I came face-toface with recently.

When I signed my current work contract, I didn't even think of negotiating a longer paternity benefit than the paid two weeks legally on offer.

My partner and I only chose to have a baby aftenruard. My mistake, but it's part of a larger culture of ignoring the importance of paternity and maternity rights in the workplace.

When Conservative leader David Cameron announced his decision to only take one week paternity leave, thought: "what a tosser!" - posturing about sacrificing what little family time the law allows him just shows that family is less important to him than some macho work ethic, meant to achieve the unlikely goal of liberal camouflage for the Tory PartY. When he looks back, I bet he'll wonder whether it was worth it.

re is no point waiting for the Government to Pass its longpromised, but much-delaYed bill into Parliament. Workers know New Labour won't deliver, because it has had nearlY years to deliver. Bosses will everything to avoid it, including ination against child-rearwomen and men.

I

6 6.

ii u'riu lfliit^ r' c*6 tii

fight to be with our children, but the reality is that we do and must do so.

As I looked ahead to imminent parentage, I realized how England isn't a family-friendly country. lt offers:

o Just two weeks paid PaternitY leave.

o Just 26 weeks paid maternitY leave.

o Just four weeks of unpaid parental leave for each child Per Year uP to their tenth birthday (13 weeks for 10 years).

With such a scheme in Place, there is no doubt that the capitalists benefit v) in the short-term and society suffers OJ va in the long-term. To think that these are 'benefits'that New Labour proudly introduced when theY theY came oU to power is astonishing.

e * -E

ct' (l)

eL

Peter

Moore

, )

Well these reforms fell far short of wnai ls needed for stronger families So when Prime Minister TonY Blair calls for "respect", I reply: Respect working families first!

When New Labour did introduce paternity benefits after coming into power, it introduced onlY two weeks, rather than the three months it now proposes. And it left working mothers in the lurch, too, onlY now ProPosing nine months' paid leave.

New Labour's so-called Work and Families bill, in Parliament since October 2005, is meant to bring the

the politicians realize that You can't "test pilot" the human familY? Public image-making, macho posturing and political experimentation on families hinders the well-being of families. The truth is, politicians won't let go of their power struggles.

We shouldn't have to fight to be with our children, but the reality is that we do and must do so. Working PeoPle need to take control and organize themselves to get what matters to them. ln the case of maternitY and paternity benefits, workers who don't have children (or never plan to have children) should start demanding more paid time off than what the law says. Up the ante.

You may not need it, but Your fellow

workers and their partners and their children will benefit. That's fatsighted solidarity. The next babY maY be your neighbour.

7 UnderStanding tDUGAIl0ll t0

WIAIIH

by llyan

I f they have a Masters Degree, it *"rnr they couldn't get a I job I after they gained their first degree. lf they have a Degree, it means they are too stupid to have seen how to make real money for themselves.

There are a very few who have taken a degree through a real interest in the subject and even fewer who took a Degree as a necessary step to make real money for themselves.

Real MONEY ls not

fs, $s, Dms,

Yens, Gold, or Diamonds. Real money is the capacity to acquire those things were one stupid enough to desire them. l There is no shortage of stupid people in the world so keen to broadcast their stupidity that they wear gold and diamond. Selling them qold and diamonds is one wa!' ,.r acquire that real productive capacity that is wealth.

Gold should be worn by small children to advertise to bandits and gangsters that the parent will pay much more for the safe return of the child. - But of course, paying a ransom to a kidnapper should be so heavily penalised that it will never be worthwhile kidnapping from that family again.

Counterfeiting money to get gold or diamonds is not really crime, one object of little intrinsic worth is bought by another object of little intrinsic worth, fair exchange is no robbery. But if counterfeit money is used to buy something of real value, land or a productive factory, then that is a crime.

But to return to the matter of Education and the creation of real wealth. Assuming you have an adequate basic education in

reading and writing and adding up, then if you pay attention to the society around you and think, you will see many ways to create real riches. One thing you might find necessary is to hire people with degrees, and PhDs, you have seen the productive profitable work they should be doing, and employ them to do it. For that you take a substantial cutyour profit. You then improve your profits by persuading them to take a big part of their remuneration as a company pension.

It is up to you to invest in real wealth for them so that the pension is covered and you are left with that lot of capital as well when they die. With luck you will employ many, and work them so hard and stressfully that they die just before pension age, then the profits can be big. Especially if the spouse can be persuaded to move house and change their lifestyle within a year of your employee's death. The probability is then much higher that there will be a second death, and so the funds you hold become "your" pension fund.

The question of what you are going to do with the money merits a further paper. The Mormon answer ''To do good works" is flawed, because the better the intention, the greater the damage the good intentions do when acted upon.

sWavs Notro BeArraid up to the boss can be hard to Working class people are taught not:to stand up for themselves. Fear gets in the way. So here are some handy tips to prevent intimidation and represent yourself better on the job.

Qtanding

f.ldo.

{. Always talk to someone at the same eye level. lf someone is standing and talking to you, stand up.

2. Look people in the eye, unless it's a cultural no-no. Don't look away from people when tralking or listening to them.

3. Address people by their name and not thoir title. By giving somebody a title that you don't have, you elevate them. lf thafs impossible to avoid. try giving yourself a tifle and ask to be addressed as such.

4, Don't think anyone else is more important than you.

5. Be clear about who you are and what you want. lf people don't know who are, they won't pay attention. So think about rvho you are and what you want f,eforehanO, so you can say it aloud. Try to $gure out how to say it in 20 seconds.

you

,

l

6. Don't let anyone tell you that you don't know something. You may not know the answer now, but you can find out. Demand time to do your research.

7. Speak at a volume in which people don't have to strain to hear you and where you're not shouting. Let your voice be heard.

8- Practice standing up for yourself. The moro you do it, the better you will get at it.

Ft r"t)

o,

Rp

ru

ch CD

a

I ("n"."1 flection Trk"

srurhe

abstention firom yoilr race As a sig" of go.,r Jisgr.c".

Voter apathg in gour view ls a probl.nr but there's nothinggou mg

..n Jo. f"r"onul responsibilitg, l*ib"r.l pe.ocrac.g's inFertrlity. $t";1. politi.s.u. f.on, the boarJ

GDf

sp.ll our

Joo..

$o *.r,g link" '., gc,ur chain fi{onarchg, poli.. it's allthe sarnâ&#x201A;Ź. lou create the spectacle -

Instead we have asked: "l/\Ihat a.bout poor areas that don't receive help?" This is a real issue, caused by an unsatisfactory ....Many Wobblies will be g'overnment response to poverty. We ought to be able aware that the BNP is also to offer a critique of this tryint to launch its own whole process, especially trade union, called the way it sets up neigh-

Just anoth.. kick in thc testicles In the h.rp. *. n,ill refrain

ff

rogal

Qur

*.JJi"g. you

again.

trrrn the tap,

b.ai.rs fall out onto the mat.

Now the arnrtl is at war.

To no* object *orld b. a borc

frrd"r,c., a thirJ term,

cut the crap

|mmigrants, g.gpsies that's

*h...

pri.,Le ru,

mine rs

and fat

"lobu.

f's "r,ok.,= [rom up their kr,.es. $h"rld get frisons Full,lcts brild some more.

f"n^"bi" fict en

q,

I'nr

who take

the Leg lock up the Joor.

I

b"l;.u. in evolution -

voting For tl'e (evolution

E'J

e F,

ou ct)

*-

no

TIM GEERING

bourhoods in competition

with one another.

-

it's at-

Dis"bl-d wasters sho"ld get ajob,

This has not been glamorous work like putting on gigs or festivals, but getting out on wet and windy weekends to leaflet and talk to people, particularly on council estates in Keighley where the BNP have tried to cash in on issues such as paedophilia and the perceived unJairness that sometimes accompanies the distribution of regeneration monies, which is a big issue in several northern towns.

The leaflets we have put out do not seek to wish away these issues: the worst possible outcome would be that through censorship, denial and stupidity we allow only the BNP's version of events to do the rounds, and thereby reinforce the BNP claim that they are the only party that will address difficult issues.

fJrman li[. borght r'',d sold, fhis slur. marLet n,.kes gourgold.

fto, yor. d.n,ocracy

n Bradford and Keighley for the past couple of years, the AntiFascist Committee of the Trades Council has been organising to stop the Fascist BNP getting a foothold in our city.

,/

room.

lnterest rates anJ

BllP

'Solidarity

the Union for British Workers'.

-

This campaign has been organised by Trade Unionists and community activists with a wide range of political points of view (and some who would say they are not'politicaf in the usual sense). The aim has always been to combine the countering of the immediate threat caused by the BNP standing in elections with more long-term work, in local schools, community centres and work-places, designed to question the prejudices and igrnorance that Fascists feed on.

ManyWobblies will be aware that the BNP is also trying to launch its own trade union, called'Solidarity - the Union for British Workers'.

In case anyone needs reminding, during the 1984-85 miners' strike, the BNP called for the army to be used against the NUM, and oneYorkshire BNP candidate even funded scab miners.

Fascists have always sought to divide the working class and have often used scab unions to do this. AIl Wobblies should be aware of the BNP's attempts to get involved in r:nion activities a-nd get

organised to stop them.

I loint Gaflholding

E"LAg On *,"

By PhilWharton

llis

il couple of years ago, I left the A tr"a" union t was in.

4 \grtr,ough employed at a low grade and on a casual basis, I had joined the union anyway - I mean, how could I not join a union, right?

Even though the contract I signed with my employers said that they could sack me with a week's notice, for whatever reason - I basically signed my own rights away from the off, but still felt I shou-ld be in the same union as the vast majority of my fellow workers. If they were to go on strike, after aII, I wasn't going to cross any picket lines.

Signing up to the union in question should have been easy: they have an office on site, just a few floors down from where I work. But no.

They not only got my name wrong, they got my sex wrong. I e-mailed them numerous times, but nothing seemed to work.

Meanwhile, the "convenor" for our floor was looked on by all and

sundry with nothing but contempt.

The management and the people he was supposed to represent had the same amount of respect for him: none. He would go to meetings with management and simply report what they had decided to do. If cuts were to be made, that was that, management had to have the right to manage... (copyright M Thatcher, 1984).

The guy was never in the office enough to do his actual day job, never mind representing more than a hrrndred workers. He was forever abroad on "fact-finding" missions.

And there was me, wrong name,

wrong sex, giving up a percentage of my meagre wages to pay him 300 or so quid a year to represent me. Lunacy. (I thought of wearing a skirt and demanding the right to bear children, like in The Life of Brian. Of course, he would probably have taken me seriously and had a meeting with the branch secretary to discuss my demands.)

Eventually, I'd had enough. I discovered the I.W.W. on the internet.

When I read the preamble to the constitution, it was like a revelation: "The trade unions foster a state of affairs which allows one set of workers to be pitted against another..." Right, that was that. I promptly sent a sarcastic e-mail, left the trade union and became aWob. The effect was cathartic. My consciousness was raised, my stamps came from Philadelphia, and I felt good. Of course, there was still no way I was going to cross a picket Iine; but the way it works round here, unless you've got holiday prebooked or are already on the sick, if you don't turn in for work on a strike day, you're on strike, whether you're in a striking union or not.

The absentee trade union "convenor" could junket away to his heart's content; it was no skin off

my nose.

However, recently push came to shove and a strike was called. A lot of my work colleagues were disgusted that they hadn't heard squeak from their representative, although it came as no swprise to them or me. Quite a few of them suggested that I would make a much better rep.

I asked the advice of fellow workers in my local IIf,/1M GMB. The gist of the advice was, yeah, we know, we're all in stupid, bureaucratic, spineless unions as well. Just grin and bear it. So I did. I retrieved my dummy from outside my pram and rejoined the trade union.

So,

I've come fu-ll circle. I'm now a joint cardholder, Iooking to actually change things at work through the trade r:nion that I left all that time ago. Of course, being in the IWW gives me invaluable insight into how to actually be effective at doing just that, as well as having a constitution that allows joint cardholding. Hopefully I can be all the more useful for it.

So,

in drc

O..,

t-1otir,""r

lorr.old

form o4 "lo.aion oI the pcath of

fop"John F"rlll.

b.lJ,l l,"r next to gravc, cotd

...b1.,

floth

o[ gc,ld

J."p.J.

,u[r"o.bi.'-q all

thejurccs

$( gor. Jecaginq flcsh *h,ch is n,:w uselces.

|hat

as I write [alls

[.o. qour bo,rcs, nses to G"d'"

.$t"n.h. like irccnse, h."u.nlg thr.:nc.

l'rcsbgtcrs anJ ['rclatcs about gou P'49'

fh. sh."p

li[e [aithli,l arc hurricd on

their wag.

Th. *oJJ .-[ ten,oor.l ;.c,we. flastcns :t Jcath's i',our fresi<lent*s .nd k,,.qs, politi.rans o., crow Ltl.cL tu',.g.,

ficl

sweet ph.a-.es that theg sing.

f,hanrplon o[ liIe. th. .,,.b.,r,'r chilJ, Q.r *or.n'" rights tlou p.rr."J nruch

::

5COm.

ferhap", little sh.,r,,.l c.rnce"leJ Jhc priest .hilJ ,Lrrr.r l..,, q.rrr real. fh. h.rror.*Llil ().. ,.J i.he sa*e In sulph,,,.

lou

h,,tr,,.q st,ll

r'enr;:rns.

brorght Jou. ;ommun,sm

in

thor" fJolg flr... flapitalism's bah.q h.rtn in those

fastem

lands

Was baptised wrth go,,r larr anJ sairrt19

h,ndr

f"'lo* lif. h." rp

"rdg.,nc

,{ h".r[rl ,',rr. [r* fin" ar..1 {lt thos. cr,s

awag,

r;our corpse in

clcric.s. kingr

"r,d

*.,.lJ l."d-

gathere.J,

lnFcct arJ aL:scnt thcn, [r,rm thc worlJ

Jhen

no more euloqies shall I tor them

writc

$ort o"lg'Worlers o[ the \i!,:.ld

I,U -

CD

(,lrrrte'.

B'

TIM GEERING

EP

7

a C?

clt

@s

10

Union sGolGs [iU uicto]U auainst Star[uclts Coffee giant Starbucks must re-hire fired Baristas in New York and rescind National Anti-U nion Policies taken from wvtw. starb ucks u nion. org he IIJVW Starbucks Workers Union won a watershed victory yesterday in the first National Labor Relations Board conflict over unfair labor Practices between the world's largest coffee chain and the baristas who work there. Faced with the ProsPect of having its widespread union-busting campaign exPosed in a Public hearing, Starbucks agreed to remedy all of the myriad violations committed against workers who have organized a union.

"We hope Starbucks' decision to settle reflects a strategic assessment to cease what has been a relentless anti-union campaign and accept the right of baristas to gain a voice on the job bY joining together," said Laura De Anda, one of the union members that Prevailed in the proceedings. "The IWW StarbucksWorkers Union is here to stay."

Some highlights of the National Labor Relations Board settlement with Starbucks include: O The reinstatement of IMfW members, Sarah Bender and AnthonY Polanco, who had been discharged for their union activity in order to discourage other workers from making a free and fair choice about whether to join the union.

O The invalidation of Starbucks' national policy that prohibited the sharing of written union information and joining the union on comPany property. o The invalidation of Starbucks' national no-pin policy. Workers had va been banned from wearing IWW (t) (/? pins and had been sent home from c) work without pay for refusing to

&

oa c!, â&#x201A;ŹJ lr

m

take them off . o An agreement bY Starbucks to end threats, bribes, and surveil

Iance of rrnion members. a \[Ihat would have been a relatively hefty backpay award against Starbucks was reduced because the I!1fW assisted its discharged members in obtaining other emPloYment which mitigates damages under the National Labor Relations Act. Stiil, the comPanY will PaY out almost $2,000.

(3

All ! have to say to Starbucks is: I'm back AathonY Polanco

tt

o

And much more. To view the settlement agreement log on to: www. starbucksunion. orglno de / 7 12.

The union was represented bY its General Counsel, Stuart Lichten, of Schwartz, Lichten & Bright. The NLRB attorneYs on the case were Audrey Eveillard and Burt Pearlstone.

"I'm pleased that Starbucks' blatant

violation of the law has been remedied in my case," said reinstated barista Sarah Bender. "And now I'm just eager to get back to work to continue the organizing drive and chalk up more gains in wages and

Workers Union."

"All I have to say to Starbucks is: I'm back," added discharged barista, Anthony Polanco.

"The long-standing right to proudly display our union Pins has finaIIY been reaffirmed," said Pete Montalbano, an IWW barista whose disciplinary record was exPunged by the settlement and who received

compensation for being wrongfully kicked out of work. "This is an important visual expression of solidarity for co-workers and customers alike."

The NLRB comPlaint against Starbucks which resulted in this set-

tlement outlined a widespread antiunion effort that extended to upper level management, including a Starbucks Senior Vice President.

Fifteen Starbucks emPloYees were named in the comPlaint.

The I\IfW Starbucks Workers Union is a grassroots organization of Starbucks emPloYees united to improve life on and off the job. The campaign to organize Starbucks is based on the solidaritY unionism model, unionism in its Purest form: a group of workers directly pressur-

ing a corporation without getting entangled in the cumbersome government certification process or the alienating business-union approach.

p@

11

aI la[o] Boatil

Monday I st MAY 2005 Miners' Lock-out and General Stril<e 80th Anniversary Commemoration

Since its founding in May 2004, the StarbucksWorkers Union has chalked up three wage increases, more secure work hours, and some modest safety improvements in the area of repetitive strain injuries. Union members also work together to remedy individual grievances such as fixing errors in pay and eliminating exhausting scheduling demands.

The Woolpack Pub, Marl<et Place, Doncaster.

J

"Though we would have preferred to vindicate our rights in an open hearing, winning a remedy for all of our well-documented charges against Starbucks is certainly gratifying," said Daniel Gross, an IWW organizer and Starbucks barista whose 'final warning before termination' was nullified by the settlement. "It's critical to point out that while the't-^nclusion of this battle took place in a legal setting, the fight was won in the streets and tluough actions on the job. The union couldn't have done it without grassroots solidarity from around the world from places as far off as Edinburgh, Scotland and Auckland, New Zealand to places as close to home as New Brunswick, New Jersey and the streets of Manhattan."

P.m'

Film: The Miners Film (Cinema Action)

The Labor Board's standard practice is to

settle complaints without the charged party, Starbucks in this case, admitting guilt. Because of this, as a symbolic matter, the IVIfW refused to sign on to the settlement. The I$fW believes there was ample evidence to conclude that Starbucks was guilty of breaking the law.

Nonetheless, the settlement stands as is with the all of the union's charges resolved.

:.

[i,'J,irl.8llf S (#,,:it'ul

ro

(ltafrr*ff3'E6f {alWB&.W rwwrl&^6n *mWBlECriqp alm, E$effi|E

imm6Prun i,.m.ffiiffi. l-*,o*',Yi.ill

lffi*;;m;lru

Folk Music Social: with Toe'in' the Dark.

lOxt

olr3tr

0a

Dave Rodgers, (Banner Theatre)

ffiBcilaotrffi

rwsmilEEatffi!

6-\

.p?soamtnEnrr{ra

HB flqzr \ l:

:Hffi .d[mnEEHo&

*l*,*lffi*g!'I iffiIs**i.,

The bitter lock-out, days of hope in the General Strike, and betrayal by the TUC: David Douglass, National Union of Mineworl<ers.

Debate and discussion.

I

Organised by Mining Communities Advice Service in coniunction with the National Union of Mineworkers,The lndustrialWorkers of TheWorld (lWW) and Doncaster and North East Regions Class War.

EI' |{

C9

,r,

-Rie

F o V) CD

vt

ffir \$!7

12 IWW: We Bemem[er the Hayma][et Martyrs n: te1e4499r9 ay Day cele-

cAkgg*4+ptg,Mrgl&b_l

brates international working class solidarity, but few people know of the event in Haymarket, Chicago that sparked its creation.

Haymarket is why the working class celebrate May Day.Yet, few people know the eight men who, on 1I November, 1887, were executed or imprisoned for life:

a o o o a a a a

scarce we will increase its value."

In Chicago, workers in the shipping, building, Iumber, manufacturing, and rail industries were already on strike. Police broke up union meetings and clubbed supporters.

On May 3, police opened fire on picket-

ing harvester workers and lumber-shovers, killing four and GeorgeEngel,SI; wounding an unknown number. The next day, Adolph Fischer, 29; anarchist organizers held the Haymarket meetLouis Lingg,23; jury hand...The was ing, with speakers standing on a wagon to Samuel Fielden,40; to a crowd of 3,000 people. Near the end OscarNeebe,ST; picked convict the speak of the meeting, a police captain nicknamed Michael Schwab,34. defendants, with one of "clubber" with 180 officers moved to break it A bomb exploded in their ranks. The police The government hung jury being a relative up. the responded brutally, clubbing and shooting the Spies, Parson, Engel and Fischer. Lingg executed of a police victim.. crowd, killing and wounding an unknown nrunber. Police shot Samuel Fielden, who was the himself in prison by Iast speaker, in the knee. All told, eight police exploding a dynamite cap 60 were wounded, many of them shot by their died and in his mouth. Fielden, Neebe and Schwab spent seven fellow officers in the chaos. years in prison from their arrest, until an amnesty movement compelled the new grovernor of Illinois to A wave of repression and arrests created an atmosgrant them clemency. phere of terror and hysteria. The bomber was never The context of the Haymarket trial is more complex identified nor was anyone convicted of murder of neithan the image of bomb-throwing anarther police nor citizens. The chists conjured to this day.

Haymarket trial is infamous as a Employers and their political fixed trial which sought to crimiallies used the police to break nalize the free speech, assembly strikes with considerable vioand thought that had turned Ience.

Chicago into a nexus of revolutionary activity. Also notable was how Workers marched on May l, six of the eight were immigrants.

1886 for the 8-hour day and a general strike was called.Years The jury was handpicked to conbefore, Albert Parson had told a vict the defendants, with one of Congressional Select Committee the jury being a relative of a the goal of the 8-hour day campolice victim. But the jurors faced paign: "We want to remove the the harsh light of their conworst disability of poverty by sciences. The last Haymarket the hours of labor; by reducing juror died in an insane asylum in tfr qJ the distributing of work that is to I904.In 1893 Illinois' new goverw) be done more equally among (3 nor granted the surviving three workingmen, and consequently x Fielden, Neebe, and Schwab the among reducing competition clemency, admitting there was ots the workingmen for the opportuno evidence against them. nity to work. By making labor

c)

ca

August Spies,32; Albert Parsons,39;

to

)ffi

13 Meet the Haymarket Martyrs who inspired 126 years ago and up to today, the working classes' May Day. AUGUST SP|ES (185s-1 887) Job: Editor of Arbeiter-Zeitung German language anarchist socialist newspaper.

Oigin: Born in Landeck, Germany, emigrated to the United States in 1902.

Notabte: Spies understood that the trial was an act of class revenge. ln a letter to the Govemor of lllinois, August Spies offered himself as a blood sacrifice in the class war: "ln the of the traditions of our country I beg you to prevent a sevenfold murder upon men whose only crime is that they are idealists; that they long for a better future for all. lf legal murder there must be. lel one, let mine suffice."

Court address: Anarchism does not AT,BERT PARSONS ( 1 848- 1 887) mean bloodshed; does not mean robPrinter. /ob: etc.

These monstrosities bery, arson, Born in Montgomery, Origin: aro, on the contrary, the characteristic AIabama. features of capitalism. Anarchism means Notable: Parsons went underpeace and tranquiltity to all. Anarchism, ground immediately after the or socialism, means the reorganization Haymarket event, but then walked principles and upon scientific of sociely his accord into the court on own the abolition of causes which produce Day 1 the trial to face the on of vide and crime. Capitalism first produces charges. these sociat diseases and then seeks to Hrs jdeas; The great class-conflict cure them by punishment... Now; if we now gathering throughout the cannot be directly implicated with this is created by our social world affair, connected with the throwing of the system of industrial slavery. bomb, where is the law that says "that Capitalists could not if they these men shall be would, and wor.rld not if they picked out to suffef'? could, change it. This alone is to Show me that law if you have it. lf the be the work of the proletariat, the position of this court is correct, then half disinherited, the wage-slave, the population of this of this city -hatf of the city* ought to be hanged, because they sufferer. Now can the wage-class avoid this conflict? Neither reliare responsible the same as we are for gion nor politics can solve it or that act on May 4th. And if not hatf the prevent it. It comes as a human, population of Chicago is hanged, then an imperative necessity. "eight me that men the law says show shall be picked out and hanged as Anarchists do not make the social scapegoats"! You have no such law. revolution; they prophesy its comYour decision, your verdict, our conviction is nothing but an arbitrary will of this ing. Shall we then stone the prophets? [...] Ail over the world lawless court. [...] the fact stands urdisputed that Now these are my ideas. They constitute the political is based upon, and is a part of myself. I cannot divest myself but the reflex of the economic you of lhem, nor would l, if I could. And if system, and hence we find that think that you can crush oul these ideas whatever the political form of that are gaining ground more and more government, whether monarchievery day, if you think you can crush cal or republican, the average them out by sending us to the gallows-if social status of the wage-workers you would once more have people to suffer the penalty of death because they is in every country identical. have dared to tetl the truth*and I defy

you to show us where

we have told a lie*l say, if death is the penalty for proclaiming the trulh, then I wlll proudly and defiantly pay the pricel Call your hangman.

Truth crucified in Socrates, in Christ, in Giordano Bruno, in Huss, Galileo, still lives*they and others whose number is legion have preceded us on this path. We are ready to follow!

The class struggle of the past century is history repeating itself; it is the evolutionary growth preceding the revolutionary denouement. Though liberty is a growth, it is also a birth, and while it is yet to be, it is also about to be born.

Its birth will come through travail and pain, through bloodshed and

violence.

Excerpt of poem, freedom, by

Albert Parsons Hurnan bees! Has natute's thrift Given thee naught but honey's

gift?

See! The drones ate on the wing, Have you lost the will lo sling?

Man of lahor, up, arise!

I{now the rnight that in thee lies, Wheel and shaft are set at rest, At thy powerful arun's behest.

Thine oppressor's ftand recoils, When thou, weary of thy toils, Slrun'sf thy plough; thy task begun When thou speak'st: Enough is

done!

Break this two-fold yoke in

twain; Break thy wantts enslauing

chain; Ereak thy slavery's want and.

drcad; Bread is freedorn, freedotn

r..a

c1)

bread.

Ep ?a

c/)

ffir \iiy

(

14 LINGG (1864-1887) Job: Carpenter.

Origin: Born near

And not even

LOUIS

under such a law-a law that a schoolboY must

Mannheim, Germany, emigrated to Chicago in 1885. despise-not even by such Couft speech: "l protest methods against the conviction, against the decision of the have they court. I do not recognize been able to "legally" conthe decision of the court. I your vict us. They law, not recognize do jumbled together as it is by have suborned perjury the nobodies of bygone centuries, and I do not rec- to boot. I tell you frankly ognize the decision of the and oPenlY, I My counsel own court. have conclusively proven am for force. from the decisions of equal- I have already told ly high courts that a new CaPtain trial must be granted us.

The state's attorney quotes Schaack, "if three times as many deci- they use cannons against us, we shall use dynamite sions from perhaps still against them." I repeat that higher courts to prove the I am the enemy of the opposite, and I am convinced that if, in another "order" of today, and I trial, these decisions should repeat that, with all my be supported twenty-one powers, So long aS breath volumes, they will adduce remains in me, I shall combat it. I declare again, one hundred in support of frankly and openly, that I the contrary, if it is anarchists who are to be tried. am in favour of using force.

STIuUED ETELTIEN

(184?-ISa2)

/ob:Teamster-

inxrodmorden.

bn'gnn: Born 184?

I",ancashire, Engtand, emigrated

to

nioht in

t;i;r", re8a,

the

*i u"

ttl gltl" ;

ffi

.SDOLPH

y'ob: Editor of

cu)

OJ

?/)

e *

ou ctt

!.r

ca

: ,

i i :

i

victed of Anarchy."

i i

:

:

i :

IIrs ideas: The capitalists i ;who have taken possesision of the means of pro-;

:

iduction--factories,

I have told Captain Schaack, and I stand by it, "if you cannonade us, we shall dynamite you." You laugh! Perhaps you think, "you'll throw no more bombs"; but let me assure you I die happy on the gallows, so confident am I that the hundreds and thousands to whom I have spoken will remember mY words; and when you shall have hanged us' then-will

l:il^TJ^*"'ds-{hev throwing!

ln

::^t["^::'o do I sav to vou:

that wiUn$ theywe$"Ihe #e.tl and cantot stpport a widow so that she will not have lo trun |er childrcn out to

:

tmachinery, Iand, etc.-- i are the masters, and the i workingmen who have to lapply to the capitalists i ior the use of the means iof production (for which i ithey receive a small icompensation in order tor iive), are the slaves.

The interests of the caPi- I lalistic class are backed i :by the state (militia, i isherilfs and police) ,while the interests of the :

i

:

,

non-possessingpeople iare not

protected.

flnarchists say that there ishould be no class inter-

every :human being should have free access to the :ests, but that

I

it ig answeled been offering r:s money." It was seven by ita enemies, I would say it is prevent o'clock-at nigtrt and snowing; I asked ing somebody else ftoln taking your thel thqf had been so late. They : . Otem said: "We have bgel yorkinsr T 1* prcperty. But socialism is eguality. " from Socialism recogrniZes the fact thatno ToT." ChildrsU babies tlrnedout man in society is responsible for what he their rnother's hgart toSnle.a Ultng' their fatheaperhaps {ead-in tl! case is; that att ille that are in society are the

scientific soeialism says that you must go to the

:

:Court speech: "I protest iagainst my being senitenced to death because iI have committed no icrime. I was tried... for :murder, but I was con-

as shortly and as cur0y as

productlonof porerty; and

Der

hnarchist, whose motto was:We Hate Authority. iOrigin: Born in Bremen, iGermany, emigrated to IrlewYork in 18?3.

ii ree6.

6 i;" Il.|?!: I despise Senrence; Idfe imprisonment. Pardoned aia regsea 3::?':.",1"' vour laws' vour i;;" y::'^"i::'

by Governor Altseld in t8e3. force-propped "i;; rr"ru.rswr,"tiisocialismrraking h";;;,i.r Hang me for itl authority' somebody else's property?That is what them. I sgcialisrn iE in the com.rnon acceptation asked them of the term. No. But if it were to answer it wlry. They said: "A man down there has unitedstate"

rISCHER

root of the evil. Tlrere is no criminal statistician I the wo{d but will acknowledge zuch temptations as that is not w-orth that atl crime, whentraced to its origiin, respecting, andthe rnan-who will lot tty is the product of poverty. [...] In this city I r9-changp-it is no man...I te[ you theEe of Chicago children ale working at yery t$"q to shorrr you that the guestion is an tender ages. Going home one very cotd American guestion...

i :

:

i

i 1

i

imeans of existence and i :that the pantries of moth-, ier earth should be i

;accessible to all her chil-: iaren... anarchists, as welli as all other thinking peo-. ple, claim that in the i

present society a great

of people are .number 'deprived of a decent ,existence.We demand rhe reilsta.llation of the

:disinherited! Is this a .crime? Is this an outrage ,upon society? Are we

itherefore dangerous ,criminals, whose lies ishould be taken in the linterests of the common lgood of society?

.:

i

i

:

:

i :

i :

i : i

:

)@

15 LOUIS OSCAR NEEBE (18501916) Job: Organizer for Chicago Central Labor Union.

Oigin: Born in NewYork, raised in Germany, and then refurned.

Sentence: Life imprisonment.

Pardoned by Governor Altgeld in 1893.

His ideas I havo been in the labor movement since 1875. I have seen how thg polico have fodden on the Constitution of this countrg and crushed the labor organizations. I have seen fom year to year how they were fodden down, where lhey were shot dorvn, where they were odriven into their holes like rats," as [prosecutor] Mr. Grinnellsaid to tha jury. But they will come

outl [...]

We socialists hope such times may never corne again; we do everything in our power to prevent it by reductng the hours of lahor and increasing wages. But you capitalists wont allotr this to be done, You use your power to perpetuate a system by which you make your money for your$elves and keep the wage-workers poor. You make them ignorant and miserable, and you are responsible for it. You wont let the toilers live a decent life. [,.J There is no evidence to show that lwas connected with the bomb.throwing, or that I was near it, or anything of that kind.

So I am only sony, your honorthat is, if you can stop it or help it*l will ask you to do it-that is, to hang me, too; for I think it is rnore honorable to die suddenly than to be killed by inches. I have a family and children; and if they know their father is dead, they willbury him. They can go to the grave, and kneel down by the side of it but they canl go to the penitentiary and see their father, who was convicted for a crime that he hasn't had anything to do with. That is all have got to say. I am sorry that I am not to be hung with the rest of the men.

I

MTGHAEL SCHWAB (r8s3- r898) /ob: Bookbinder and associate editor of anarchist,/socialist German laaguage newspaper, Arbeiter-Zeitung.

Origin: Born in Bavaria, Germany, emigrated to the United States in 1879.

Sentence.' Life imprisonment. Pardoned by Governor Altgeld in 1893, but died five years later of a respiratory disease caught in prison.

Hrs ideas: To term the proceedings during the trial justice, would be a sneer.

Justice has not been done... could not be done. If one class is arrayed against the other, it is idle and hypocritical to think about justice. Anarchy was on trial, as the state's attorney put it in his closing speech. A doctrine, an opinion hostile to brute force, hostile to our present murderous system of production and distribution. I am condemned to die for writing newspaper articles and making speeches... Little did it matter who the persons were to be honoured by the prosecution. It was the movement the blow was aimed at: It was directed

fa 4sh

e

against the labor movement, against socialism--for today every labor movement must, of necessity, be socialistic.

Talk about a giant conspiracyl A movement is not a conspiracy. All we did was done in open daylight. There were no secrets.

e*

.&&& e*trt-

lJM

GEORGE ENGEL

(1

8s6-1 887)

Job: Ran a toy store in Chicago.

Origin: Born in Cassell, Germany, emigrated to Philadelphia in '1873.

His ideas: Anarchism and socialism are as much alike, in my opinion, as one egg is to another. They differ only in their tactics. The anarchists have abandoned the way of liberating humanity which socialists would take to accomplish this. I say: Believe no more in the ballot, and use all other means at your command. Because we have done so we stand arraigned here today-because we have pointed out to the people the proper way. The anarchists are being hunted and persecuted for this in every crime, but in the face of it all anarchism is galning more and more adherents, and if you cut off our opportunities of open agitation, then will all the work be done secretly. lf the state's attorney thinks he can root out socialism by hanging seven of our men and condemnlng the other to fifteen years' servitude, he is laboring under the wrong impression... When hundreds of workingmen have been destroyed in mines in consequence of family preparations, for

#&

#

&*r{

-&1'<,

rrr

the repairing of which the owners were too stingy, the capitalistic papers have scarcely noticed it. See with what satisfaction and cruelty they their repod, when here and there workingmen have been fired upon, while striking for a few cents increase in their wages, that they might earn only a scanty subsistence. Can anyone feel respect for a government that accords rights only to the privileged classes, and none to the workers? We have seen but recently how the coal-barons combined to form a conspiracy to raise the price of coal, while at the same time reducing the already low wages of their men. Are they accused of conspiracy on that account? But when workingmen dare ask an increase in their wages, the militia and the police are sent out to shoot them down. For such a government as this I can feel no respect, and I will combat them despite their power, despite their police, despite their spies. I hate and combat them, not the individual capitalist, but the system that gives them those privileges. My wish is that workingmen may recognize who are their friends and who are their enemies.

ailin;iGiffi;i;6;n;'ffii;a;/$;'ffi;a;iil;";;A"Fi;;Eii; hosemonr. Chicago: Charles H. Kerr Pubtishing, tg86. $cirii&ii

-

g, Rp i i

--l)

a

t'D et)

@t

16 Casey Neill: ltilemory agai nst forgeft ing

: CD AKPress/Daemon Records 2004

'The struggle of man against power is the struggle of memory against forgel ting/ -Milan Kundera

The IWW has always been associatI ed with a vibrant workers'culture and the need to express ideas in a popular and creative way. The union has had more than it's fair share of singers, songwriters, poets and artists dedicated to building the new world in the shell of the old.

Casey Neill's CD stands firmly in the tradition of the Wobbly trouba-

dour but

Mngs it right up to date.

A selection of his work from the last

t0

years, the music is based in countryfolk but the various tracks bring in bluegrass ('Riffraff'), rock ('Anger in Motion') and lrish traditional (including an exellent take on 'Paddy's Lamenf with the Sligo fiddler Kevin Burke).

Sometimes polemical, often intimately personal in his approach, Casey's music is angry but informed storytelling.

This is nowhere showcased well than in the mesmerising title track, a song which subtly finds a place in one's brain and refuses to budge. And a song which echoes the IWW singer Utah Phillips' opinion that'The past didn't go anywhere' but, rather, informs our every step.

Given the present popularity of Americana and alt-country it would be sinful if Casey Neill did not find an ever widening audience. One for fans of recent Springsteen or Whiskeytown as much of Phil Ochs or Pete Seeger, this album, furious and gentle by turn UJ is a worthwhile addition to any CD colq) et) lection. Recommended. c, www.ak.uk and www.caseyneill.com A,

-oU CE

q)

tE m

Dek Keenan

IHIRSI AMll]IG TIIUAIS! THE WORKERS BEER COMPANY COMES OF AGE Workers Beer Company fflhe I -came in to existence in the I gtoom of the Thatcher years,

In an

inl985, with the idea of building partnerships with progressive and left groups, trade unions and campaigns.

for its

Today the Workers beer company (WBC) can be seen at most of the large music festivals around the IJK, including the London and Edin-burgh Mayday festivals, Reading Rock, and Glastonbury.

industry renowned exploitation of casual Iabour,

their

TheWBC is run in a unique way. First, it has a management committee which is made up of l5 people representing four of the main unions

- Amicus,

ITNISON, T&G

and the GMB. Second, the beer tents it runs at

festivals are staffed in a way that is firndamentally different from a normal commercial operation. It employs volunteers from progressive groups who are not paid directly, but whose earnings instead are donated to the volunteers' organization.

At the time of writing, the hourly rate for the donation was standingr at 15.90: considerably more that the average part-time worker in a commercial operation wouJd get.

A big bonus for IIIBC volunteers is that they get to enjoy the festivals on their breaks, as well as

raising money for their cause.

The WBC also runs the best pub

model is positively revolutionary.

The Bread and Roses pub has a significant input into the local community, supporting live music and community groups, and also has a fortnightly stand-up comedy night. (Tony Blair has yet to appear...)

Over the last twenty-one years, the WBC has supported nearly 200 organisations, from the

Aaarchist federation to the Anti Nazi League, Tooting Labour Party to the Troops Out Movement. So in this, the 101st year of the I\MW, Wobblies could do worse than support another fine organization celebrating its 21st birthday, and in the process raise a few bob for the Big Union too!

in London. Situated in Clapham, it is, of course, The Bread and Roses (B&R). The B&R employs

paid

workers, all of whom are covered by a model union agreement negotiated with the T&G that includes proper sick pay, holiday pay and a non-exploitative wage.

www.workersbeer.

co.

uk

The Workers Beer Company 68a Clapham Manor Street London SW4 6DZ

hffi '/ \iiy

17 WI|RIPIACE SA]ETY WAIGHII||G HSE goes walkies and leaves millions

RTTUSES

lll BIIT

without protection

l\ I I I

otu"ur have lower

ieveis of consulration and worker participation, and a worse safety culture. than unionised workplaces.

Ttrat's the message impticit a new report from lhe government's Health and

in

Safety Laboratory.

'Total suck up', a new report from

national safety coalition the Hazards Campaign, includes a 'forensic analysis' of recent Executive EUUrr,ve Health I rEdrtrr orru and eorvly Safety L , (HSE) policy shifts backed up bv responses to over 20 detaired lnformation Act requests.

"HSE has become the watchdoq doesn't want to oite.'ft'e r"epl"irirtr"ro reasons why HSE top brass make sick"* and calls on HSE to take a lead on safety issues.

"

:---...

Although "reasonable levels of workforce participation [were] reported at most sites", researchers found "no evidence that workers

watchdog's annual budget'

*$i'sopr

are also making millions out of HSE as

F,"d;; ,;,":" ffi:"-ir,tr:illH :;:T,f cent of the no* .onrrring almost .10 per"1iJ'"1"1"r0u, ll::19Y9_",. that , -,-

us

The report, which was presented to new HSE chief executive G"oT,'^:l Podger on 14 February along with a'We love enforcement' Valentine's card, accuses the watchdog of going walkies from its safety law in legal duty to enforce criminal """'""';,''.'""."' its haste to adopt the government's business-friendly'better regulation' agenda.

(

less safe without unions rl rFon-unionised work-

illions of UK workers are being abandoned by the UK's official health and safety watchdog in its bid to become more "employer friendly", safety campaigners have discovered.

"Prosecutions and convictions for safety offences have

Workplaces are

(

According to 'Total suck up', other new alternatives to enforcement include HSE's LOPP programme (Large Organisations Pilot Project), which is inviting companies to undertake "self-regulation". Four of the iir.t tiu" companies to sign up to the scheme, which will soon emcompass '1 m workers, have had recent criminal safety convictions.

-'- - And the Workplace Health ::-' Connect scheme, to be launched next week by the government, will carry HSE's brand but is an entirely

The argument for strons iJ|",ffi enforcement and regular gramme which will droppeddramatically workplace inspections is that :19,"^i:P.g::^':d:,:f

fl!;il'#;:'

because the safety ir saves tives and catches police are no longer safery criminals. enforcementactivity. looking for the safety Hazards Campaisn ) ) Hilda Palmer, criminals," says Hilda palmer of the Hazards Campaign Hazards Campaign spokesperson Hilda Palmer. "The number says: ,,The argument for strong enforceof charges brought and convictions ment and regular workplace inspections is gained have both dropped by over a third that it saves lives and catches safety since HSE adopted its new businesscriminals. The only argument for HSE's friendly strategy, far outstripping the tiny new strategy is that HSE is doing the govreduction in injuries and ill-health." ernment's bidding, regardless of the dead-

ijfi:ilffi:tXli"",i;

t*:

be exprorl:t-':_:l"t-ty enforcement at work is a law and order ing 'alternatives to enforcement', including issue, not an optional extra." 'naming

rhe report says HSE ctaims to

more and shaming'of safety offenders. But the Hazards Campaign has discovered HSE has recently started ripping up large chunks of its 'naming and shaming'database, in a weekly cull of records. At the same time it is showcasing major safety criminals on its website as examples of exemplary boardroom behaviour. The report says private companies

lv:::::t=l!."!:Tli: "

'Total suck

up'lists 10 reasons why HSE

i,1ffi:r.'1T!

#ffi such as safety

committees.

They concluded this was probably a characteristic of non-unionised workplaces.

"In most cases managers, health and safety officers, employee reps and workers were not aware of the relevant health and safety regrulations", the report said. "Of those that demonstrated some Ievel of awareness, they did not have a detailed level of insight into the regulations".

Workforce participation on occupational health and safety management in nonunionised workplaces WU2005/41) can be downloaded from www. hse. gov.uk/researcVh sl

-p

df/

2OO5 /hsloS4 I

.pdf

top brass makes us sick. See it here: http://www. haza rds.org/com m ission im possi ble/watchd og refusestobite. htm

Source:

Wor@lace report no.Sl

b(

:"{ cl)

tr,

s (/1

(? (n

L

18

ruwilffiGlt[lililsE One Big Union by The lndustrial Workers of the World, Price

tl.50 This pamphlet describes the

structure, tactics and vision of the lndustrial Workers of the World. Every new member of the IWW automatically receives a copy.

The Preamble and Constitution of the llVW by The

who are opposed to capitalism but who wtll not dirty their hands in workers' struggles to change things in the here and now, preferring to wait until some glorious

Direct Action, the

The General Strike by Ralph Chaplin, Price t1.50 "Without our brain and muscle not a single wheel can turn."

Ralph Chaplin, IWW songwriter

This publication rs a/so given lo

tice that working people com-

every new member.

mand: the complete shutdown of industry as a prelude to the intro-

World, Price €2.00 Some coples of lssues 5, 6 and 7 are available

t1

A New Union Vision by Arthur Miller, Price

duction of industrial democracy. l\tVW

Organising Manual (US

edition) by The Industrial Workers of the World, Price

each.

€1.00 J

t0.75

Ihis is an excellent exposition of our views written by an IWW shipyard worker. A personal favourite.

A Little Working Class Sense

by Gilbert Mers, Price fl.00 This collection of essays by a veteran dock worker and long term Wobbly dlscusses how we can rejuvenate the labour movement.

Little Red Song Book: lnternational Edition

By The lndustrial Workers of the

World, Price t3.50 More than one hundred songs covering over a century of workers'strugg/es right up to the presenl day. lncludes c/asslcs and new songs by Joe Hill, Billy Bragg, Anne Feeney, Utah Phillips and many more.

Complete with sheet music.

Direct Action and Sabotage by E.G. Flynn, W.C. Smith, W.E.

This booklet is jam packed with useful advice and explains just

about everylhing anyone could need to know about setting up a union. Up to date pamphlets on the legal aspects of union organising in Britain and lreland are available to IWW menbers.

Solidarity Forever: An Oral History of the Wobblies by Stewart Bird, Dan Georgakas & Deborah Shaffer, Price €6,75 "fhls sludy of the Woobl,es ;s a vital parl of our hrsiory. . at excellent book." Sl-;s Ie;r; "A Great book.,. the story cf tne Wobblies has a lot to teach us and inspire us as well." Pete Seeger.

"Solidarity Forever rings with the simple eloquence of worktng

men and women who faced insurmountable economic and political odds with little more than courage in their heafts and a song on their lips. Their story gives new hope to a labour

Trautmann, Price [3.50

nt strug gl ing again st challenges that sometime s

*

All Power To The lmagination!

by Dave Douglass, Price t4.00

appear equally insurmountable today." William W. Winpisinger, President, lnternational

-U

Dave Douglass' latest book is an excellent antidote to all those

vt (u

v)

cu CIEI

€J *n

tre

of Tom Barker, editor of Australian IWW's newspaper in the 1910s. ln his later

Price €1.00

Bread and Roses Magazine By The lndustrial Workers of the

t2.00 Ihls is lhe exciting story

day after the 'revolution'.

and organiser advocates one of the most powerful tools for jus-

lndustrial Workers of the World,

Tom Barker and the IWW by E C Fry, Price

move me

Assocration of Machinists.

life he lived in England, worked for the London Electricity Board and was even a Labour council-

A shoft account of the life, trial

and legacy of Joe Hill.

The Case of Joe Hill by Philip S Foner, Price

lor in Camden for a while.

f5.00

A longer study of the trial of the

Ned Kelly's Ghost: The Tottenham [a/W and Tragedy

by John Patten, Price

[2.00

Ihrs story from the early years of the IWW in Australia reads more like a detective story than traditional labour history.

risky, hard work and a right good

laugh... even when nothing seems to go right there still exlsts the solidarity of comradeshrp, /t was ironic (or flattering!) that the bosses with all their money and power were so scared of our humble union."

"V/e were only an ordinary group of workers who had sod-all mcne'y cr pawer.,. we hoped that we could pruide an exanple or tnsp,iraiicn for workers la arganise stni'ert, .n aihe' .--Lsirres.

Th.s a

Reai

cn..."

b'i'iart ristcry ci tl'e p-e-

cursor to the IWW Couriers Union that was set up in London in 1994 Buy it, read it and pass it on!

Joe Hill:

lV'rlW

songwriter

by Dean Nolan & Fred Thompson, Price 11,00

The Great Bisbee IWW Deportation of July 12th 1917

by Rob E Hanson, Price t1.50 A compilation of primary source materials on the events of that day. The collection contains

The Couriers Are Revolting!: The Despatch lndustry Workers Union 1989-1992

by Des Patchrider, Price t1.50 "Stating a union can be exciting,

Warkers like YOU!

IWW's most famous songwiter.

many fascinating documents and photos that shine a poweful light on the historic roots of the sorry predicament of the US labour movement today.

May Day: A Short History of the lnternational Workers' Holiday 1886-1986 by Philip S Foner Price f3.50 The exciting history of May Day, from its origins in America dunng the struggle for the 8 hour day through to its modern

celebra-

tions.

American Labor Struggles 1877 - 1934

by Samuel Yellen, Price

f7.50 "Brings to life the great labour conflicts of American history, from the railroad strlkes of 1877 to the San Franctsco general strike of 1934" Howard Zinn, author A People's History of the United Stales,

)@

19

Y.r, I

rrant to;loin

tlr.

It^A^/

On becoming a member you will automatically receive:

O a a O a a O

Afree subscription to Bread & Roses.

A copy of the One Big Union pamphlet.

A copy of the IWW Constitution.

An IWW Badge.

A Union Card. lnternal IWW News Bulletins.

The right to a free subscription to the lndustrial iWorker (our newspaper). Please indicate on the memlbership form if you would like to receive this publication.

Dues are paid according to earninEs: Please remember to pay the eguivalent of one month's dues as your initiation fee. This is to help cover the cost of the material you will be provided with on

joining.

For example, to join and pay ttuee month's dues, please send us the equivalent of four month's dues, the first will cover your initiation fee,

Please use block capitals when completing the membership form. lf you require any assistance or have any questions on completing the form, please contact us by writing to: lWW, PO Box 74, Brighton, BN1 4ZQ, UK or e-mail: info@iww.org.uk.

Please allow 28 days for confirmation of your membership application being received.

MONTHLY INCOME

VIONTHLY DUES

unemployed/fixed income

f 1.00

up to f650 before tax

f1.10

t651 to 81200 before tax

t3.30

more than t1200 before tax

t8.25

PLEASE TICK

YES,/NO Do you confirm that you are a worker with no power to hire or fire?

Do you agree to a"bide by the constitution of the union?

YESAIO Would you like to receive our newspaper, the IndustrialWorker, which is free to members? YES/NO

Please JVofe.' )) It is our policy not to enter into agreements with employers for deductions of dues from wages, nor will any details of your membership be shared with anyone oulsrde the union.

2) Please make cheques or Postal Orders payable to'lWW'3) Our initiation fee rs egua/ to one month's dues. This covers administration as well as lhe cosl of a membership card. One Big Union pampilet, IWW union badge and a copy of the IWW constitution).

4.,i il .i'ou are able to receive internal bulletins via e-mail, p/ease adrse us and include your e-mail address.

51 Dues can be paid by standing order - p/ease ask for defails.

Dues PaiC: Donations: Total amount,

t t t

-l (D

Qs ch

.h