The Industrial Workers of the World (also called “The Wobblies”) are a member-run labor union organizing working people in every industry, from farming to trucking, retail to nursing, and everything else in-between.

In the short term, we organize for better pay, better hours, and better conditions, and in the long term, we organize for a different type of economy, one which is operated cooperatively and democratically by and for working people. IWW membership is open to all workers — anyone except for employers or managers who have the abilities to hire and fire other workers — whether or not you are currently employed.

As a union, we do not officially endorse, fund, or support any political parties or religious groups. (However, IWW members as individuals are, of course, free to affiliate politically or religiously in a private capacity as we wish.) IWW members may also already be members of other labor unions; we call this being a “dual carder.” We only prohibit our members from becoming officers of political parties or officers of other labor unions which do not call for radical change in the way the economy is run, specifically what we call, “the abolition of the wage system.”

There are IWW branches all over the world, and our international headquarters is currently located in Chicago, where the union originated in 1905. (The union’s main web site can be found at IWW.org.) The Southern Maine IWW is currently centered in the Augusta-Portland area, but we encourage workers from all over Maine to contact us.