Industrial Workers of the World

The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) is an international labor union founded in Chicago in 1905. It sought to unite workers across industries in one organization and promote workers’ control of production.

Founding Convention of the Industrial Workers of the World: The 1905 Chicago gathering that established the Industrial Workers of the World. Delegates founded the union there after organizing across industries became a shared goal.
One Big Union: The goal of organizing workers across industries into a single labor organization. It expressed the IWW’s central alternative to separate craft unions.
Lawrence textile strike: A 1912 Massachusetts strike by textile workers protesting wage cuts and working conditions. IWW organizers helped coordinate immigrant workers across mills and language groups.
Espionage Act of 1917: A U.S. federal law enacted during World War I that criminalized specified interference with military operations and recruitment. Federal prosecutions under the act targeted IWW opposition to the war and organizing.
Revolutionary syndicalism: A labor movement strategy that seeks social transformation through unions and direct worker action. The IWW shared its emphasis on industrial organization and direct action.
Western Federation of Miners: A militant miners’ union founded in 1893 in the western United States. Its leaders and organizing traditions helped shape the IWW’s founding.
Industrial Workers of the World constitution: The governing document defining the IWW’s structure, membership, and aims. Its preamble states the union’s class-struggle outlook and industrial organizing principle.
Paterson silk strike: A 1913 strike by silk workers in Paterson, New Jersey, over work rules and conditions. The IWW brought its industrial organizing strategy to a divided textile workforce.
United States v. Haywood: A 1918 federal conspiracy trial of IWW leaders and members in Chicago. The convictions dealt a severe blow to the union’s leadership during wartime repression.
Socialist Party of America: A U.S. political party founded in 1901 that pursued socialist change through electoral politics and labor organizing. The party’s electoral strategy differed from the IWW’s focus on workplace organization.

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