1938

Submitted by Juan Conatz on April 22, 2015

This was a very quiet year. Organizing efforts continued in Cleveland, in Detroit, and among the lumber workers in California, Washington and Canada. The Marine Transport Workers' Union was fairly active, as was that of the Railroad Maintenance Workers. For the most part, organization efforts were concentrated on W. P.A. projects in various parts of the country.

Conventions were held by several of the industrial unons and the twenty-third general convention was held in Chicago at headquarters., 2422 N. Halsted St. from Sept 12 to Sept.17. During this year reports began to come in of "Wobblies” killed in action in Spain. Several I.W.W. 's had joined the Loyalist forces.

In April delegates from Seattle, Everett, Olympia and Angeles met at Tacoma, Washington and Port Angeles drew up plans for organizing the W.P.A. workers in that area. At about the same time, similar groups met at Detroit and in Minnesota. However, nothing of importance resulted from the organization drives which developed, although there were minor strikes in Detroit and Missoula, Montana.

Agricultural Workers Industrial Union, No. 110, put on an organizational drive in California. They had limited success in the Watsonville and Salinas district. The Marine Transport Workers' Union gave considerable publicity to their opposition to shipping to Fascist dominated countries. And, in Cleveland I.U. 440 successfully opposed wage cuts by threatening to go on strike.

Nothing important occurred at the General Convention, except that a resolution was passed reaffirming the I.W.W. 's opposition to capitalist's wars and its unfaltering prosecution of the class war.

Comments