Checking in

[Matthew Andrews]

Comrades,

Last month I moved from Vermont back to Boston. I've been active in
both places, but Boston is much more urban and there's a lot more
radical activism here.

I am working for a company that builds homes. I do a little of
everything - carpentry (framing and finish work), excavation, masonry,
making runs to Home Depot, etc. It's non-union work. In fact, we are
all "independent contractors", which is probably illegal. But compared
to what I was making in Vermont, the money is good. Workers in this
company could have a lot of power if they organized.

I am joining the IWW branch here. I'm already friends with much of the
leadership, going way back. They have a job branch for clerical workers
at Harvard University (agitating the business union), and a wide mix of
other (mostly marginally employed) people. They had a campaign
organizing a shop in Harvard Square called Insomnia Cookies. There were
two court cases that came out of that campaign. One involved a wobbly
who was attacked by the cops while on the picket line.

Next Saturday is July 4th, and the Boston IWW will be hosting an
Anti-Imperialist Picnic. The idea is to enjoy a cook-out without all
the jingoism and link our independence with the rights of others to be
free from empire today. I began organizing this picnic almost 10 years
ago when I was active in the Socialist Party USA. Since then I left the
SP and there is no longer a Boston local, but the IWW has continued to
sponsor and organize the picnic. It's a small success that I'm eager to
keep up!

I think the Boston branch of the IWW is worth joining on its own merit.
The politics are not ideal, but they are a big tent and do good work.
The picnic is an important unity project for the radical left in Boston.

Since the WIIU seems to be just an email list with a handful of people,
I believe it would be more productive to work within the IWW to do labor
organizing, solidarity work, and also agitate for a more political
orientation. While I don't think we'd necessarily be able to influence
the IWW, I do believe we would find others who are sympathetic to WIIU
ideas. We could operate unofficially and sometimes independently from
the IWW.

Right now we're just too small to operate as an organization, let alone
a union. We need to develop a base in working class struggles to go
anywhere. Re-organizing independently as the WIIU could be an eventual
outcome, but we have much work to do before that can be a real
conversation.

I know some people here are really fed up with the IWW, but if you can
tolerate the nonsense from the international, we might be able to reach
like-minded activists and build a functioning group.

We need some agreement on a strategy for moving forward. I am eager to
hear what others think.



In Solidarity,
~Matthew Andrews

[Scott Wallace]

I think you're on the right track, Matt. I'm moving back to the US in 2 weeks. China has been fascinating, but I've had enough. I found a job in Idaho.  I may well join the IWW as well. It would be interesting if you make another run for congress as an IWW member. I'm thinking about that myself. I'm writing something up concerning strategy, I'll post it when its done.

The picnic sounds great, I wish I could make it.

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[Matthew Andrews]

Idaho?! I think I'd rather be in China. Is there a wobbly branch
there? If there isn't, you might as well organize WIIU. If there is,
they may be worth joining, but I doubt they'd let you run for office as
an IWW member. Be prepared to get denounced. LOL.


~Matt




On Sat, 2015-06-27 at 16:28 +0000, 'Scott Wallace' via Workers'