Join the IWW!
How to join
If you meet all of the following conditions:
You are a worker (not an employer);
You agree to abide by the IWW Constitution and regulations of this organization;
You agree to study the IWW's principles and make yourself acquainted with its purposes;
And you want to join us, then …
click the button below to sign up at redcard.iww.org
Contact us directly at toronto@iww.org with any questions.
(Our fellow workers in Seattle have a wonderful guide if you need help, check it out https://seattleiww.org/join-the-seattle-iww/)
Who can join the IWW?
If you're a worker you can join the IWW. Rank-and-file members of other unions, students, retirees, the unemployed, the self-employed, those in informal professions, and those unable to work are all welcome to join. To us, you are all workers. Employers, professional landlords and law enforcement need not apply.
Why join?
Workers and their bosses have opposing interests. We, the workers, want to spend fewer hours at work, have better benefits and higher pay. We want our work to be less boring, less dangerous and less destructive to the environment. We want more control over how we produce goods and provide services. We want meaningful work that contributes to our communities and world.
Our bosses, in contrast, want us to work longer, harder, faster and cheaper. They want fewer safety and environmental regulations, and they demand absolute control over all decisions, work schedules, speech and actions in the workplace.
Practical Benefits of a Union
Like it says in the Preamble to our Constitution, “the working class and the employing class have nothing in common” this means that what a worker wants goes against what the boss wants. The easiest and best way to stand up for each other in our workplaces and improve our working conditions is to join a union. That is why employers fight so hard and spend so much money to keep unions out of their workplaces.
Workers with unions generally have higher pay and job security, better benefits and fewer scheduling problems. More pay equals fewer hours at work and more hours for enjoying the good things in life.
Union workplaces are safer and have less harassment, discrimination and favouritism. This is because a union gives workers the power to make workplace decisions.
The less we let our employers make all of the decisions, the better our lives and communities will be. Unions also provide mutual aid and community. This means assistance with problems at work, but it could also mean help with a community project or fighting a landlord.
Why Every Worker Should be in the One Big Union
Whether you like your job or not, we in the IWW believe you should join us for the following reasons. We need to start sticking up for our coworkers in our workplaces and in our industries.
Ask around on your next shift:
How many coworkers have two or three jobs?
How many are living paycheque to paycheque?
We have a duty to our co-workers and those who will follow in our footsteps to make things better. The only way to do this is to organize together. When we band together around our common experiences and interests, we can improve our jobs and industries. Our labor, not our bosses, is what makes our workplaces tick, and we can use our labor power to improve our jobs and communities in the short term. In a lot of ways, that is what unions are all about.
With the IWW, you also belong to a union that has a long term vision and plan for workers' control of their own work, without bosses, making our industries and economy democratic.
As an IWW member, you get:
Direct support from experienced volunteer organizers to help you organize at your workplace;
Access to expertise in areas such as tactics, strategy, media, infrastructure building and bargaining;
To participate in the union democratically, where members control their own organizing campaigns and have a say in the direction of the union;
An international organization made of thousands of members, dedicated to working together to build worker power on our jobs and in our communities;
To be a part of a community of like minded people who care for and support each other through mutual aid;
Some practical things: access to the IWW internal newsletter, member resources, the union's literature, and a membership card and IWW button!
About the IWW
Founded in Chicago in 1905, the IWW is open to all workers. Don't let the "industrial" part confuse you; our members include teachers, social workers, retail workers, construction workers, bartenders and computer programmers. From the very beginning, the IWW wanted for all workers to be in one big union, instead of separated by trade and job. This way workers have maximum leverage in their workplaces and across industries to improve their situations for themselves, and for their families and communities.
The IWW is the union for all workers, even those who work jobs that are considered “unorganizable” and those who are currently unemployed. The IWW uses a worker-led organizing strategy called Solidarity Unionism, which centres on direct action and workplace democracy. As we say in our organizer training, “direct, democratic and caring”. We are a directly democratic and volunteer-driven union. We the members, not union bosses, run the union.
Join Today!
Nothing will change until we organize. Joining the IWW is easy. The sooner you do, the sooner things will improve and the sooner we, and not the bosses, will enjoy the good things in life.
We want you! Join the IWW and help us create the One Big Union of all workers!
Dues
Your dues rate is determined by your income:
Dues Rate Monthly Dues Monthly Income
Minimum $11 Under $2000
Regular $22 $2000 - $3500
Maximum $33 Over $3000
Sub-Minimum $6 Financial hardship