Developing the IWW’s direct unionism politics
Submitted by Juan Conatz on Mar 7 2013 01:48
An article by Juan Conatz replying to some of the Direct Unionism discussion paper responses.
Cleaning out my numerous Google Doc drafts, I found this, which continues the direct unionism debate by taking on most of the responses to the original discussion paper. So I decided to finish it, as most of the written discussion has dropped off.
Review of Fighting for ourselves
Submitted by Recomposition on Oct 3 2012 06:33
Juan Conatz reviews a new pamphlet by Solidarity Federation. We’re excited about the new pamphlet. You can read excerpts from it here.
Fighting for ourselves: anarcho-syndicalism and the class struggle by Solidarity Federation is a relatively expansive document from a membership-based group (as opposed to a writing group like Recomposition or Aufheben).
Reviving an old tradition of educating IWW agitators: Work Peoples College
A reportback of the IWW's Work Peoples College, a week long workshop and training event meant to spread skills and share experiences within the union.
The IWW is famous for its radical and inspiring history, and so an oftenheard criticism of Wobblies is that we are “stuck in the past,” that 80 years have passed and we are now little more than a “Joe Hill Appreciation Society.” This argument discredits the value of lessons learned from past organizers, both recent and historical. The past has a lot to teach us, as does the present.
AAUD/AAUD-E reader
Submitted by Juan Conatz on Aug 21 2012 09:01
A reader I compiled from various texts online of the AAUD/AAUD-E.
CONTENTS
The Communist Left in Germany1918-1921 by Gilles Dauvé and Denis Authier
Paul Mattick and Council Communism by Claudio Pozzoli
Council Communism by Mark Shipway
The Councilist Movement in Germany (1914-1935): A History of the AAUD-E Tendency by CICA
Preliminaries on Councils and Councilist Organization by René Riesel
Building branch culture: Mesaba and Red November, Black November
Submitted by Juan Conatz on Aug 10 2012 05:01
An article I wrote about two Twin Cities IWW branch events in 2011. Was originally intended for The Organizer, but was never used, so I'm posting it here.
While, for good reason, our branch is focused on workplace activity, education events and having a presence within wider movements, it's important that we know when to take a break as well as support each other.
No-strike clauses and the IWW
Juan Conatz on no-strike clauses, how they became common, what previous Wobblies thought of them and why they are bad for the IWW.
Recently there’s been a decent amount of discussion about no-strike clauses, both in the IWW and within wider labor-left circles. It’s a really interesting discussion, because finally a specific element of contractual organizing is being called into question in relation to how we organize and what our goals are.
Fragmented thoughts on political organization
Submitted by Juan Conatz on Jun 15 2012 03:32
Some rough thoughts on political organization, mostly based on my experience with groups in North America and conversations with some current and former members.
1) Contemporary political organization in the United States in large part came out of the post-Seattle 1999 resurgence of anarchism and the subsequent disagreements with primitivists, post-leftists, counter-institution types, and insurrectionaries.
Striking back at bosses: solidarity networks and sexual assault
Members of the Twin Cities IWW take on a creepy boss through solidarity network-type tactics.
Trigger Warning: Sexual Assault
In the IWW, we sometimes have to deal with two different problems: How do we approach situations where we have left our job (but still have a problem with our employer) and how do we deal with harassment and assault in the workplace?
20 Years Later: the Los Angeles riots, hip-hop, rage and Trayvon Martin
Submitted by Juan Conatz on Apr 30 2012 07:52
A post about the Los Angeles riots, hip-hop and race in America.
Today is the 20th Anniversary of the Rodney King riots, which happened in a number of cities, but was most intense in the Los Angeles area. Over the last week, the media has been looking back at hip-hop of that era, interviewing people who were affected by the events or seeing what has changed since then (however superficial this assessment is).
Interview with Burnt Bookmobile
Submitted by Juan Conatz on Apr 26 2012 01:06
An interview with an individual involved in Burnt Bookmobile, a blog out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin run by some people influenced by various anti-authoritarian tendencies, including insurrectionary anarchism, left communism, and nihilism, among others.
[i]Burnt Bookmobile is a blog out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin run by some people influenced by various anti-authoritarian tendencies, including insurrectionary anarchism, left communism, and nihilism, among others.
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