The General Secretary of the IWW, Alexis Buss, asked me to craft an urn for the remains of Joe Hill, martyr and poet laureate of labor, for the upcoming Centennial of the Industrial Workers of the World. As a poet and songwriter, Joe Hill instituted the organizing techniques of song and poetry to support the many successful strikes of the IWW in the early part of the century.
As I carved the piece, I had a time to reflect on the meaning of the IWW today and of Joe Hill and his contributions. In 1905 labor activists such as Eugene Debs, Big Bill Haywood and Mother Jones founded the
Industrial Workers of the World. The members of the IWW were progressives who established the principle that anyone could join regardless of nationality, position, sex or race. Joe Hill's music celebrated that vision:
"There is power; there is power in a band of working folk,
When they stand hand in hand."
The main premise of the IWW a hundred years ago is as relevant today as it was then: by joining together, whether in our home community or globally, will we be able to correct the injustices of the wage system. Capitalist ownership, or the ownership society, replaces a partnership society, and this concentration of power in the hands of wealthy capitalists undermines our democracy.
As I continue to carve away at the clay, I'm grateful that I have no one to tell me how to do this job. I certainly ask for suggestions and help from friends and family, but in the end it is up to me to decide how this artistic expression unfolds. Isn't that what we all want on our jobs . . . that our creativity and our ideas flourish, without the dictates from higher ups in a bureaucratic and hierarchical workplace?
After reading the Daily Kos diaries and comments over the past year, I was particularly interested in the comments regarding workplaces and the control the corporate bosses exert over our freedom and decision-making. One comment made on the Cheers and Jeers stuck in my mind. One of our Kossacks had put up a poster in his workplace and then hoped that his boss would see the humor, which luckily, he said, the boss did. However, the cautiousness with which we have to practice in our workplaces undermines our freedom and democratic rights. How many of us have direct input into the decision-making at our workplace? Do our employers assume a patronizing attitude toward workers? Do we have access to all the information needed to make good decisions? Has the wage gap between the highest and lowest paid work increased over the past ten years? Are some workers given perks while others are ignored? Are workers free to criticize the policies of their organizations? Without correcting these injustices we are allowing the mentality of oppression to permeate and carry over into all other areas of our existence. Some on this blog are able to overcome workplace tyranny but many cannot. We ask ourselves why do people support policies that are against their own interests? The answer is the same as to why we don't rebel against the injustices in our workplaces. If we can figure that out, perhaps the direction we are heading is not inevitable.
The working class and the employing class have nothing in common. How more true is this today than in 1905? The press and the politicians were afraid of the IWW because this organization of workers was truly a threat to the status quo. Today if the workers of the world joined together, that would truly bring workplace tyranny to its knees.
One of the main reasons for the deteriorating employment practices is that union membership has decreased and with that decrease so has the checks and balances of labor and management. We face that demon every day when we step into our workplaces, but our lack of participation has become so normalized that we no longer can see what we need to do to remedy that injustice. In 1960, unions represented almost one third of American workers while today they represent just over 10%. This decrease in membership has negatively impacted the effectiveness of union activities. As in the past, union busting activities are common.
Suggestions to form a Kos credit union or to create our own credit card or to hold a convention are all good ideas. But unless we turn the tide in our workplaces, we will find it difficult to arrive at the root of our problem. Imagine if everyone on the Daily Kos formed or joined a progressive union today . . . we'd at least have the beginnings of a resurgence of power in the workforce. Sure we're not at the same location or the same company, but we have to start somewhere so why not here. A union that supports worker democracy and active involvement in all aspects of the union management would be a perfect fit for those of us on the Daily Kos who are already working diligently to make change. Acknowledge your own and your fellow workers' plight. Then fan the flames of discontent.
This piece of pottery I am carving will not be finished until placed in the kiln where the fire and heat will produce a strong bond with the molecules. We, too, must ignite our passion and fire up our cause in solidarity bonding with our fellow workers, those who sit next to us and those on the other side of the world.
"Come, all ye workers, from every land.
Come join in the grand Industrial band;
Then we our share of this earth shall demand.
Come on! Do your share. Lend a hand."
Joe Hill