FAQ
Is the IWW still active?
Yes! Historically, we were one of the biggest and most influential unions, and today we lead the labour movement with proven and innovative organizing strategies and tactics.
The IWW has seen a recent influx of member here in Toronto, and for a variety of reasons. Some reasons are timely, like pandemic safety concerns in the workplace, the rise of the gig economy, and the worsening situation for working people as the affordability crisis, to name a few. Other reasons are timeless, like the basic human desire for respect and dignity in all aspects of our lives.
Our local branch hosts regular organizer training and offers direct support from experienced organizers to help workers organize at their jobs. We also collect funds for strike and layoff support, and have regular democratic meetings to support our members and further our cause. Most importantly, there are active organizing campaigns here in the Greater Toronto Area that are building power and winning better conditions on the job.
Who can join?
As long as you are a worker — not an employer, law enforcement, or a professional landlord — you can join the IWW. Members of other unions (except officers), students, retirees, the unemployed, the self-employed, those in informal professions, and those unable to work may also join. To us, you are all workers.
There is a difference in interests at work between employees and employers. Someone may not own the business, but having hiring and firing power over other workers makes them an employer to us.
By restricting our membership to only workers we make it easier to act in solidarity with other people at your job and improve your working conditions. If you are a worker then you belong in the IWW with us!
Why is it called ‘Industrial’ Workers of the World? Do I need to work in a factory to join?
‘Industrial’ in Industrial Workers of the World doesn’t mean you swing a big hammer at your job or work in a mine. It refers to how we organize. Use the hospital as an example: Instead of a separate union for the nurses, and another for administrative staff, and another for the janitors like so many workplaces, we want to organize all workers in a given industry into one big union. This way, instead of separate groups of workers being pitted against each other in negotiations, the workers can all stand together and leverage much more power.
I am a member of another union. May I join?
Yes, with the exception of union officers. Many IWW members are also members of other unions. They are people who form the fighting heart of such unions; rank and filers who strive to make their unions yield returns for the membership and not completely degenerate into docile pacifiers serving the boss.
Such workers have joined the IWW out of dissatisfaction with the existing union at their job.
Such workers have joined the IWW because they want to build their union to be stronger, more fearless, and more honest than the business aligned that are dominant today. Such a reimagined union must, in the end, confront the unity that bosses and the employing class have with each other with greater unity among the workers and the working class as a whole.
That union is the One Big Union—the IWW.
Is the IWW politically affiliated?
As a union, the IWW is not involved or affiliated with any political party or group. While we identify as a revolutionary industrial union, we do not encourage any one political party or candidate over another. These are not union questions, and must be settled by each union member according to personal conscience. The union is formed to reach and enforce decisions about questions at work and across industries. Its power to do this can be destroyed by the diversion of its resources to political campaigns.
For example, someone could say they have a particular political leaning, yet their actions tell a completely different story when it comes to working against or supporting their fellow workers. This is why we remain non-exclusionary on these fronts.
Who is in charge of the union?
From the shop floor, to the international, the IWW is a directly democratic, participatory union led by its members. That means we, the workers, make all decisions and have the final say. Members in the workplace democratically decide what issues to go after and which tactics to use. We elect officers, which are recallable and accountable to the members, to handle specific sets of duties. Our union is not stifled by high-salary union bosses or bureaucrats who make decisions on your behalf.
How big is the IWW?
In North America, we are about 9000 members strong, with many members in Europe and Australia. Our branch here in the greater Toronto area is small but very active. We’re growing but we need you to join and help the work along!
How does the IWW win better working conditions?
We use a versatile and wide range of tactics to achieve our goals in the workplace. Instead of relying on contracts and labour board elections, we use direct action, planned and carried out in solidarity by the workers in the shop. Our strategy is to organize wall-to-wall in any workplace, and across industries to maximize our leverage and win larger demands.
How much are dues going to cost me?
Every union needs funding, and the best way to stay independent and democratic is to fund our union ourselves. Our dues are lower than any other union in Canada. The dues rate you pay is based on your monthly income:
Dues Rate Monthly Dues Monthly Income
Minimum $11 Under $2000
Regular $22 $2000 - $3500
Maximum $33 Over $3000
Sub-Minimum $6 Financial hardship
Where does my dues money go? What is it used for?
Dues money is split between your local branch and the wider North American Regional Administration (NARA) of the IWW. Other unions spend huge sums of members’ dues on politicians, political parties, teams of lawyers, and high-paid bureaucrats, and even invest the dues they collect from workers into anti-worker corporations.
The IWW takes a principled stance against this. Your dues will never go to political candidates, parties, or to the bosses. The strength of the IWW comes from the actions of our members, not how much money we have, but what we do have supports the organizing of our members. Importantly, you will always have direct democratic input on how your dues are spent and every member of the IWW has the same rights regardless of dues level.
How do I talk to someone in the branch?
You can contact here:
Email: toronto@iww.org
Phone: (416) 639-7633
Address: PO Box 45
Toronto Station P
Toronto, ON M5S 2S6
To learn more:
Check out “The One Big Union” pamphlet