Industrial Workers of the World - Recreational Workers Industrial Union 630

Joe Hill 100 Road Show Tour Conducts Concerts in Three Dozen Cities

x344543 — Wed, 27 Jan 2016 05:58:46 +0000

By Ron Kaminkow - January 25, 2016

On November 19th, 1915 a poor Swedish immigrant was executed by firing squad in Salt Lake City, Utah. And while his legal assassination was protested worldwide and his name was briefly a household word 100 years ago, today most people have never heard the name of this migrant worker, hobo, union organizer, song writer, satirist and agitator. But throughout the course of 2015 – 100 years after his execution – dozens of concerts, plays, sing alongs and other gatherings were conducted across the United Sates in remembrance of this man “who never died” – Joe Hill.

The Joe Hill Road Show 100 Tour was an ambitious effort to bring the words, music and ideas of Joe Hill to the people. In some three dozen performances around the country – starting in Chicago on May 1 (International Workers’ Day) and ending in Salt Lake City the day after his execution – crowds were treated to renditions of Joe’s songs as performed by a series of different musicians. While some of the crowds were small and others large, all shows on the tour were spirited events with lots of audience participation, enthusiasm, and laughter, all infused with the spirit of labor solidarity.

Performers at the various shows included a number of professional travelling musicians, others regionally based, as well as local talent, invited up on stage to join in the fun. Some of the musicians included: Anne Feeney, Mark Ross, Bucky Halker, George Mann, J.P. Wright, Marc Revenson (Lil’ Rev), Tim Gorelanton, Patrick Dodd, David Rovics, Duncan Phillips, Otis Gibbs, Charlie King, Greg Artzner & Terry Leonino of “Magpie,” Jan Hammarlund, and Chris Chandler. Joining them in at least three cities, the Labor Chorus in each added another dimension, a unique element to these shows, one that encouraged group singing. They performed in union halls, taverns, community centers, concert halls, churches, and even in an old wooden boxcar by the railroad tracks in Northern California. Shows took place in 18 states in the following towns and cities: Chicago and Batavia, IL; Madison, Milwaukee, Sheboygan, Oshkosh and Green Bay, WI; St. Paul, MN; Indianapolis, IN; Washington, DC; Baltimore, MD; Philadelphia, PA; Ithaca, NY; Schenectady, and New York, NY; Barre, VT; Springfield and Cambridge, MA; Louisville and Lexington, KY; Nashville and Knoxville, TN; Atlanta, GA; San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Nevada City and Weed, CA; Reno, NV; Phoenix, Eugene and Portland, OR; Bellingham, WA and Salt Lake City, UT. Additional commemorative events not sponsored by the Joe Hill 100 group were held in numerous other locales including Denver, CO and Oakland, CA.

So why all the fuss over an itinerant immigrant, shot to death 100 years ago? If Joe had been a loner, just another one of millions of isolated and destitute workingmen around the turn of the 20th century, he would have certainly died in obscurity. But Joe Hill (born Joel Emmanuel Haaglund), quickly assimilated to his new environment in the US, refused to be treated unfairly, joined the union that at that time was organizing unskilled transient workers (the Industrial Workers of the World) and found his voice. And what a voice that turned out to be! Joe composed hundreds of songs, never asked a penny for his services, and donated all of his works – songs, poems, cartoons – to the workers of the world to use as they saw fit to fight the class struggle. Workers from “San Diego up to Maine in every mine and mill” were soon singing Joe’s songs at work, on the picket line, on the street corners, on the soap box and in the jails. Yes, wherever workers would “strike and organize” that would be where you would hear the songs of Joe Hill.

Production Services Collective workers Join IWW iu630

x344543 — Tue, 15 Sep 2015 00:29:33 +0000

Production Services Collective declaration to the ownership of Sound Stage Systems:

For nearly a year, as fellow workers, we have organized ourselves, put forth proposals, met and negotiated with you, the ownership and management of Sound Stage Systems. We have done these things in an attempt to create a democratic work place and a functional system of working that is inclusive, promotes creativity, compensates fairly and sees the value in cooperation rather than the unsustainable spiral of competition.

Our proposals have been met with varying degrees of enthusiasm and hostility. Weekly staff meetings have been attempted and some proposals implemented. Some workers have negotiated better wages on a one on one basis only to find the overtime they expected was now unattainable. Profit over substance has become the mode of operation. Clients' needs have been swept aside as cost over runs are hurriedly “funded’ and new avenues of profit are exploited. New hires have been intimidated with the threat of firing during probation periods. Workers old and new have been “talked to” regarding trivial matters in an apparent attempt to intimidate. An atmosphere of intolerance for dissenting views, alternate methods, procedures and social/work culture is present daily.

We find ourselves in a continuous cycle of emotional and economic boom and bust. Daily we experience the torturous trickle down from a system that disregards our contributions and rights to self-determination and fair compensation. We have determined the only way out of this cycle and into routine control of our lives and movement forward lies in solidarity with workers locally and around the world who struggle daily to form the structures of a new way to work and live within the shell of the old.

It is with this in mind that we proudly declare ourselves members of the Industrial Workers of the World and move to build a work environment that fairly addresses the needs of client, worker and owner.

Before we can continue work on existing projects and before the discussion of work on new projects, we demand that you, the ownership and management of Sound Stage Systems, recognize us, the workers of Sound Stage Systems, as members of IWW IU630 (The Industrial Workers of the World, industrial union 630) and allow us the space to create a more democratic work place.

With a fresh prospective from this new owner/worker dynamic, we can discuss the details of the following additional demands;

1) that as members of IWW IU630 we are given access to and input in every aspect of our role as workers on any project.
2) That as members of IWW IU630 we are the first to be responsible for the training, review and assignment to departments of any member or new hire for any project.
3) That as members of IWW IU630 we receive equal pay for equal work based on a four tier pay scale.
4) That travel project notifications will be a minimum of two weeks prior to booking.
5) That an open system for review and conflict resolution is established with no less than two IWW IU630 members present at any meeting.

We are no longer willing to participate in or make excuses for substandard work that is produced by a system beyond our control. We are dedicated to providing the best products and services in this industry. Within this new framework we are confident we can achieve this and create a work environment that will elevate every project Sound Stage System involves itself in, to this level and beyond.

Support Deirdre Chervenka Cunningham!! Support the IWW Star Tickets Workers Union!!

IWW.org Editor — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 22:35:27 +0000

IWW Organizer Deirdre Cunningham has been fired from Star Tickets after a successful union election. The IWW workers of Star Tickets were officially recognized as the bargaining agent for Star Tickets today. Also today Mrs. Cunningham was fired in retaliation.

Call owner Jack Krasula and demand justice for Deirdre!!

Phone - 248-945-1127

Grand Rapids Call Center Goes Wobbly

x359437 — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 23:27:02 +0000

Employees of Large Ticket Distributor Join Together and Demand Recognition

Grand Rapids, MI - Employees of Star Tickets have "walked on the boss" today demanding a reduction in workload, an employee grievance procedure, and recognition of their union. The employees have formed the IWW Star Tickets Workers Union for mutual support and respect on the job. Their intentions are to begin collective bargaining with owner, Jack Krasula, over a work environment that they say has become untenable.

“We are just exercising our legal right to form a union for our mutual benefit” said Deirdre Cunningham, a Client Services Representative. “We have been meeting, assisting one another, and acting as a union for some time so today we made it official to our boss."

Ottawa Busker Appeals Conviction

x344543 — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 18:31:01 +0000

When the City of Ottawa installed speakers and started broadcasting muzak in busker Raymond Loomer's favourite underpass, he cut the speaker wires one day in May 2009. He then taped the wire on the door of the office door of the Downtown Rideau Business Improvement Area, a business lobby group that has waged a campaign to remove street people and performers from the city centre.

As a tin flute player, he was one of several buskers who relied on the unique acoustics of the downtown Ottawa underpass near the Rideau Centre shopping centre to make a living. Loomer is a member of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). He did not take kindly to having his live music replaced by a machine.

"They were playing music to interfere with our industry," he said.

City police arrested Loomer and charged him with two counts of mischief under $5,000. He was convicted on May 25, 2010 with a sentence of 12 months probation and 20 hours community service. Loomer represented himself and has appealed, saying the city failed to provide bylaw information he could have used in his defense and that he has rights under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms to make a living and freedom of expression. He objected to the community service as "the slave style practices of government" for appropriating his labour power.

Loomer's appeal will be heard on November 12, 2010 at the city courthouse.

Ottawa had introduced restrictive bylaws requiring street performers to get a license and perform in designated spots chosen by the city. Ontario's Safe Streets Act, brought in to target squeegee kids, buskers and other street people making a living on the province's streets, has set the stage for tighter controls on informal workers.

For more information, visit www.ottawaiww.org

Mark Cuban: The Perils of Ayn Rand Populism

x344543 — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 01:45:06 +0000

Disclaimer - The opinions of the author do not necessarily match those of the IWW. This article is reposted in accordance to Fair Use guidelines.

Some Thoughts on Utah Phillips

x344543 — Mon, 26 May 2008 18:23:21 +0000

By David Rovics - May 25th, 2008

I wouldn't want to elevate anybody to inappropriately high heights, but for me, Utah Phillips was a legend.

I first became familiar with the Utah Phillips phenomenon in the late 80's, when I was in my early twenties, working part-time as a prep cook at Morningtown in Seattle. I had recently read Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States, and had been particularly enthralled by the early 20th Century section, the stories of the Industrial Workers of the World. So it was with great interest that I first discovered a greasy cassette there in the kitchen by the stereo, Utah Phillips Sings the Songs and Tells the Stories of the Industrial Workers of the World.

As a young radical, I had heard lots about the 1960's. There were (and are) plenty of veterans of the struggles of the 60's alive and well today. But the wildly tumultuous era of the first two decades of the 20th century is now (and pretty well was then) a thing entirely of history, with no one living anymore to tell the stories. And while long after the 60's there will be millions of hours of audio and video recorded for posterity, of the massive turn-of-the-century movement of the industrial working class there will be virtually none of that.

Why is the Left So Boring? - If I Can't Dance ....

x344543 — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 19:43:06 +0000

By David Rovics - Originally published at Counterpunch

Last weekend I sang at an antiwar protest in downtown Portland, Oregon, on the fifth anniversary of the ongoing slaughter in Iraq. In both its good and bad aspects, the event downtown was not unusual. Hard-working, unpaid activists from various organizations and networks put in long hours organizing, doing publicity, and sitting through lots of contentious meetings in the weeks and months leading up to the event. On the day of the event, different groups set up tents to network with the public and talk about matters of life and death. There was a stage with talented musicians of various musical genres performing throughout the day, and a rally with speakers in the afternoon, followed by a march. Attendance was pathetically low. In large part I'm sure this was due to the general sense of discouragement most people in the US seem to feel about our ability to effect change under the Bush regime. It was raining especially hard by west coast standards, and that also didn't help.

Unions Passing Resolutions to Honor, Assist Folksinger/Storyteller Bruce "Utah" Phillips

x344543 — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 02:47:04 +0000

Contact: George Mann
email: [email protected]">[email protected]
phone: 212-923-6372

Utah Phillips Benefit Show

x360711 — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 18:12:00 +0000

DETAILS:
UTAH PHILLIPS BENEFIT
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15, 6PM
EAGLE'S CLUB - 2507 E. 25th St.
PERFORMERS: Charlie Parr and Bernie King; Pop Wagner & Friends; Gabe Barnett; Mary Dushane; Paul Metsa; Bill Hinckley & Judy Larson; Papa John Kolstad; Maureen McElderry; Peter Lang; Dakota Dave Hull; Phil Heywood.
ADMISSION $10

Utah Phillips, the “Golden Voice of the American Southwest,” and one of America’s longest-performing and most beloved folk singers, has had to end his 40-year career as a traveling musician, due to serious heart problems.

As a result, he is without the means to support himself. The Industrial Workers of the World, which Utah is both a member and a important supporter of, is holding a benefit to help Utah continue to live a decent life, and to help defray his overwhelming medical bills.

Utah is an American military veteran, rail-riding hobo, co-founder of the Joe Hill house, pacifist, former candidate for U.S. Senate (Utah), and former host of National Public Radio (NPR) program Loafer’s Glory: The Hobo Jungle of the Mind.

A major influence on American Folk Music, as well as on the culture of the modern American labor movement, he taught and inspired contemporary folk icons like Rosalie Sorrels, Kate Wolf, and Ani DiFranco, and his music has been covered by countless musicians.

Utah has many Minnesota connections that make it particularly appropriate for this benefit to be held here: he used to play in the hobo jungles at Pig’s Eye Landing, and in the Finnish Socialist Communes that played such an important role in the Minnesotan North.

This is our humble attempt to help out someone who desperately needs our help, and to pay him back a little for his countless contributions to our lives and world. I sincerely hope all can come and help support Utah in his current difficulties.