OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER oF THE INDUSTRIAL WORKERS OF THE WORLD INDUSTRIALOctober 2013 #1759 Vol. 110 No. 8 $2/ £2/ €2 WORKER One Year Of Wobbly IWW Organizer FW Frank Little Solidarity With Organizing In Indiana Training In Uganda A Commemorated in Garment Workers In 3 Success! 5 Montana 7 Bangladesh 12 Striking Workers At Insomnia Cookies Join The IWW By Jake Carman were supposed to keep delivery time At midnight on Sunday, Aug. 18, the as fast as possible, which encouraged night shift at the Harvard Square Insom- unsafe riding.” nia Cookies in Boston voted unanimously Peak hours are late at night when to launch a strike for higher wages, health- college students are returning from care and freedom to build a union. On parties. As the lines of customers Tuesday, Aug. 20, all four strikers joined thickened on the evening of Saturday, the IWW and initiated a public campaign Aug. 17, Chris Helali noticed his co- to achieve their goals. workers were stressed. “I gauged the Insomnia Cookies, with 30 locations overall feeling that night and people in the United States, caters to college were pretty down. I basically said, ‘guys students and runs late night deliveries of let’s go on strike.’ It took about an hour warm cookies and milk to dorm rooms. to get everyone to agree and to figure Still delivering cookies until 2:45 a.m., out what we were going to do.” The Insomnia workers who double-duty as entire night shift of four workers: Chris bakers and cashiers receive only $9 per Helali, Jonathan Peña, Niko Stapczyn- hour. “Drivers,” who are expected to de- ski, and Luke Robinson, used the store liver cookies by bicycle within a half hour, computer to type up a strike agree- receive only $5 per hour plus tips. Nei- ment, and made signs for the store’s ther bakers/cashiers nor drivers receive windows. Then, Helali continued, “We healthcare, and at a job where turnover told the customers we were going on is so high, the typical employee lasts only strike. Some of the customers asked, a month. As Niko Stapczynski, a striking ‘Can we at least get a cookie before driver at Insomnia told the Industrial you close down the store?’ So we said, Worker, “I was being paid below mini- ‘Sure, why not.’ We served everyone in mum wage. We had no breaks because the store. Then we went outside to put we were understaffed. Sometimes we’d up the signs and lock the door.” work without breaks until 3:15 a.m. We Continued on 6 Insomnia workers walk the picket line on Aug. 29 Photo: FW Le Le LeChat Reports, Discussion Abound At The 2013 IWW General Convention gave the attendees a chance to get to know each other before getting to work on union business the fol- lowing days. The billets were sent in advance and, as was the case for me, if your flight got canceled, the local organizers were able to roll with the punches and accommodate you without problems. The lodging was coordinated efficiently and provided by local members that were genu- inely hospitable. Saturday morning started with the credentials verification to ensure that all of the delegates were eligible to perform their duty. All delegates were given a free copy of the new book published by Recomposition Blog, “Lines of Work: Stories of Jobs and Resistance,” as part of its IWW members from across North America and Europe gather in Edmonton for the 2013 General Convention. Photo: DJ Alperovitz official launch. The whole day was By Mathieu Dube dedicated to reports from the union’s Industrial Worker This year my fellow workers of the officers and standing committees. Our Periodicals Postage PO Box 180195 Pittsburgh General Membership Branch General Secretary-Treasurer (GST), FW PAID (GMB) entrusted me to be their delegate Sam Green, ended his mandate by provid- Chicago, IL 60618, USA Chicago, IL to the 2013 IWW General Convention that ing us with enlightening comments on the and additional was held in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada challenges that the union is facing accord- mailing offices ISSN 0019-8870 on Labor Day weekend, Friday, Aug. 30 - ing to him. Of these, I would mention the ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED Sunday, Sept. 1. I will share my experience difficulty that our current structures have of the proceedings in the following lines. in dealing with our international growth. I chose to focus on what displayed, in my Indeed, and it is a good problem to have: opinion, the most interest for the union from a membership largely based in North membership. I apologize for the voluntary America, our union has grown quite a bit omissions. Europe at the turn of the century. This The first thing that stood out was how poses a few challenges, for instance, that well the Edmonton branch took care of General Headquarters (GHQ) acts as the the logistics. The transportation was slick de facto General Administration for the to the Friday “meet-and-greet” that took whole union but also as the specific admin- place in the same building that the conven- istration for members in the United States. tion would be held the following days, the The report of the Organizational Training Queen Mary Park Community League Hall Committee (OTC) was very impressive. located in a park. There were literature and This committee is in the process of for- swag tables offering an extensive selec- malizing the curriculum of the Organizer tion of political books. Beer and alcohol Training. The trainers will also be trained, were sold as part of a benefit. This event Continued on 6 Page 2 • Industrial Worker • October 2013 Transition To Digital IW The SEIU Negotiates Sub-Standard Contracts, As Default: October 1, 2013 Poorly Represents Members At Illinois Local The default format for the Industrial Dear Editor, L73’s Springfield office and the announce- Worker is moving to an electronic PDF On or about Monday, June 17, the ment was quickly made that the agreement version and members will no longer be Service Employees International Union had been approved, but the vote count automatically subscribed to receive paper (SEIU) Local 73 (L73) began balloting for wasn’t released. Letters Welcome! copies of the IW in the mail, beginning Oc- a tentative agreement at the bargaining L73 “represents” the lowest paid tober 1, 2013. The default form of distribu- unit’s largest concentration of workers, workers at the lowest paid state agency Send your letters to: [email protected] with tion will instead be through email, unless the Illinois Secretary of State’s Howlett in Illinois. The SEIU has a reputation for “Letter” in the subject. otherwise specified. If members wish to Building. Very few workers were notified “negotiating” sub-standard contracts and Mailing Address: receive print copies of the IW, please send and most of the workers who did not vote this episode did nothing to improve that Industrial Worker, P.O. Box 180195, an email to [email protected] or [email protected] found out by word of mouth. The polling situation. Chicago, IL 60618, United States. with the subject “Opt-in to Print IW,” or place was located in a lightly traveled por- In Solidarity, In November We Remember call GHQ at (773) 728-0996 and request tion of the building. When questioned, Bob Zoch a print subscription. L73 responded that the boss was Send in your announcements for the If you have an existing paid subscrip- supposed to notify the workers. annual “In November We Remember” tion, you will continue to receive the IW The contract is a good one for issue of the Industrial Worker by in print. the boss, and the boss knew few if Friday, October 4, 2013. Celebrate the Note that ALL members are allowed any “yes” votes would come from the lives of those who have struggled for to request paper copies and branches that Howlett Building. The boss had no the working class with your message of have bundle requests will still have those incentive to notify the workers of the solidarity. Send announcements to iw@ requirements be honored. tentative agreement. The prevailing iww.org. Much appreciated donations Check out, share and download digital sentiment was that the agreement for the following sizes should be sent to: copies of the Industrial Worker: http:// would have been voted down and IWW GHQ, P.O. Box 180195, www.scribd.com/IndustrialWorker. L73 would have then imposed the Chicago, IL 60618, United States. Remember, every paper IW costs the contract on the workers anyway. $12 for 1” tall, 1 column wide union a significant amount of time and On or about Friday, June 28, $40 for 4” by 2 columns money. Go paperless, live in harmony with the unsecured ballots from over 100 $90 for a quarter page the earth and help save the union money! statewide work sites were gathered at Graphic: Walter P. Reuther Library, Wayne State University Industrial Worker IWW directory The Voice of Revolutionary Africa Wales: [email protected] Florida New York Industrial Unionism Uganda British Isles Gainesville GMB: c/o Civic Media Center, 433 S. Main St., New York City GMB: 45-02 23rd Street, Suite #2, Long 32601. Robbie Czopek, del., 904-315-5292, gainesvil- Island City,11101. [email protected]. www.wobblycity. IWW Kabale Uganda: Justus Tukwasibwe Weij- Health Workers IU 610: [email protected] [email protected], www.gainesvilleiww.org org ORGANIZATION agye, P.O. Box 217, Kabale , Uganda, East Africa. Pizza Hut Workers IU 640: [email protected] jkweijagye[at]yahoo.com Miami IWW: [email protected] Starbucks Campaign: iwwstarbucksunion@gmail.