Fuck Yeah IWW

@fuckyeahiww

The IWW, or Industrial Workers of the World is an international labor union founded in 1905 on the principles of industrial unionism and the abolition of the wage system. The IWW has been organizing the working people of the world ever since. While this blog is run by members of the IWW, often called Wobblies, this blog is not an official project of the IWW, but is the personal work of those running it. IWW.org

327 posts

If you’re an anti Zionist outside of Palestine, you should also be working to make your country safe for Jews so they don’t have a reason to move to israel. This includes being anti fascist, which includes working to deplatform fascists and their friends.

This also means not targeting synagogues and not shouting “free Palestine” at someone just because they’re visibly Jewish.

This also means not to say anything that includes an antisemitic trope like that Jews control Hollywood or the banks

Getting Into Fights With Data Centres: Or, a Modest Proposal for Reframing the Climate Politics of ICT

zine by Anne Pasek on how ICT (information and communications technology) climate politics and digital decarbonization issues look productively different if we focus less on green consumer behaviours and more on opposing infrastructure expansions.

What's the carbon footprint of our digital lives?

I made this zine because I keep getting asked this question. There's a growing number of people and organizations who are anxious about climate change, aware that digital stuff plays a role in that, and sincerely want to do something about this in their personal or professional lives…

It's encouraging to see so many people pose this question. I'm part of a community that studies the energy and carbon impacts of digital networks, and it used to feel like our biggest challenge was just getting people to understand that online files and services aren't the immaterial stuff of sleek corporate infographics or the whole metaphor of 'the cloud.' That cloud, we'd endlessly reply, is just someone else's computer. Most likely, it's a computer stuck in an enormous data center somewhere sort of rural, where it consumes impressive amounts of electricity (to power the facility) and water (to cool down all those hot servers).

…

If you, as an individual or non-tech organization, are looking for a place to dig in, I’d like to suggest that the best place to do so is around resisting data center expansions. … If we can stop the next data center from being built (or endlessly expanded), and if we can create a wider movement contesting the social and ecological licence of these facilities, we can directly impact the climate trajectory of the tech sector overall. And, even if we fail, raising a fuss increases the likelihood of winning better economic concessions and legal regulations for these things down the road.

See also: Interview with cloud technologist Dwayne Monroe on the podcast Tech Won't Save Us

Cloud computing forms a fundamental piece of the internet’s infrastructure, but at what cost? Dwayne Monroe explains how major tech companie

[My background in working in data centers, including "racking and stacking" the servers in the warehouses] is what informs my view, and I think that also is what prevents me from being fooled. This applies even to things that seem esoteric like machine learning, GPT-3 or DALL-E or what have you. I'm seeing data centers. Others see, oh, you know, artificial general intelligence is on the way. But what I'm seeing are computers in racks generating heat. And that's why my question is always, okay fine, the mathematics is interesting—you're not producing intelligence, but the mathematics is interesting, as even Chomsky would say—but tell me what's going on in that data center. 'Cause that tells me what the actual cost is, what the power consumption is, the industrial process that informs what you are presenting as this ethereal, science-fiction-y thing that you've built.

Country suffering its worst drought in 74 years, with government even mixing saltwater into drinking supply

A plan to build a Google data centre that will use millions of litres of water a day has sparked anger in Uruguay, which is suffering its worst drought in 74 years.

Water shortages are so severe in the country that a state of emergency has been declared in Montevideo and the authorities have added salty water to the public drinking water supplies, prompting widespread protests.

Critics claim that the government is prioritising water for transnationals and agribusiness at the expense of its own citizens. Daniel Pena, a researcher at the University of the Republic in Montevideo, said: “Only a tiny proportion of water in Uruguay is used for human consumption. The majority is used for big agro industries, such as soya, rice and wood pulping. Now we have Google planning to use enormous quantities of water.”

The search giant has bought 29 hectares (72 acres) of land to build a datacentre in Canelones department, in southern Uruguay. The centre would use 7.6m litres (2m gallons) of water a day to cool its servers – equivalent to the domestic daily use of 55,000 people, according to figures from the Ministry of Environment obtained by Pena through legal action. The water would come directly from the public drinking water system, according to Pena.

transfemininomenon

you know what? fuck you. *unionizes your salt*

transfemininomenon

hmm. well this was supposed to say uniodizes but i guess im a champion of the salt working class now

fun fact: to go into a shop with the express intent of unionizing it is called 'salting.' example in a sentence: i was thinking of salting amazon by going back and organizing with my fellow workers

mossflower-deactivated20241211

oh my fucking god it doesn’t matter if there’s a trans character in the blood libel harry potter game because the profits from that game are going to be used to further the eradication of trans rights in the uk im literally begging people to use their brains for once

mossflower-deactivated20241211

‘ohhh let people enjoy things’ look at me. look me in the eyes. the money you have spent is going to go to an influential transphobe. she is a major part of the anti-trans movement in the uk. by giving her money you are giving her more power and more influence that she will use to to further her transphobic agenda.

‘ohhh but i pirated it :)’ yeah i still don’t trust you. the game is antisemitic as hell and this has been public knowledge for months. i don’t much care for your support of trans people if you’re cool with antisemitism.

‘you’re blowing this way out of proportion’ nah i don’t think i am. i think you’ve made a choice and you’re not comfortable with the consequences of it. but unfortunately for you you can’t play Antisemitism: The Game made by the World’s Most Famous Transphobe and expect jewish people, trans people or their allies to like you.

mossflower-deactivated20241211

not spending sixty quid on the Antisemitic Game That Funds Transphobia is literally the bare fucking minimum in allyship and some of you can’t even manage that

free-and-to-none-accountable

Case readers with the Incarcerated Workers Organizing Committee are volunteers who assist incarcerated members of the Industrial Workers of

Posted on January 28, 2022 by J Parampathu

Case readers with the Incarcerated Workers Organizing Committee are volunteers who assist incarcerated members of the Industrial Workers of the World with filing legal appeals and grievances against their prisons’ administrators. While case readers do not provide legal services per se, they do connect incarcerated people with information and resources by looking up relevant case law, formatting legal documents, and researching procedural requirements. Case readers may be outside supporters or incarcerated people themselves.

Incarcerated people receiving legal assistance from a lawyer may nevertheless benefit from case readers. When incarcerated people are having difficulties communicating with their lawyers, for example, case readers on the outside can follow up with attorneys to ensure that they remain accountable to their clients. Having a case reader advocating on the outside also helps keep both legal offices and prison administrators aware that incarcerated people have supportive communities, which can thereby ensure that they are not denied their rights or simply ignored. Case readers on the outside may also assist incarcerated people by hand-delivering mail and other documents, as well as covering legal fees, with IWOC providing reimbursement.

Maintaining lines of communication is a serious barrier for effective prison assistance, and the nature of IWOC’s work presents unique difficulties to organizing. Legal barriers can prevent IWOC stipends from reaching incarcerated case readers, and related correspondence is routinely subjected to search and censor. Incarcerated case readers may also face reprisal for their activities and be punished harshly.

Brianna Peril, a founding member of IWOC, notes that while incarcerated people working on appeals may not face retaliation for doing so, those who are filing cases against their prisons and administrators, or organizing to improve conditions, are often brutally suppressed. Incarcerated case readers therefore take on immense personal risk in providing assistance to fellow incarcerated people. Peril notes that, while incarcerated case readers know that their work with IWOC puts them at risk of retaliation, they nevertheless continue and persevere.

When asked why case readers may be preferable to traditional legal assistance, Peril answers, “Well, for one, it actually exists.” In other words: Because of the long odds involved with winning appellate cases and the little chance of any monetary reward involved with prison grievances, these cases typically do not attract the attention of financially motivated legal professionals. Traditional counsel is thus often cost prohibitive, and the otherwise free legal aid available to incarcerated people is spread quite thin. Add the additional difficulties of communicating with incarcerated clients, as compared to those still awaiting trial, and case readers can be an incarcerated person’s only hope.

Interested in getting involved? Contact IWOC today.

afloweroutofstone

Walt Disney using the McCarthyist hearings in congress to smear his striking workers, October 1947. He specifically targets David Hilberman, a Jewish leftist who was the art director for “Bambi.” Several decades after this testimony, Hilberman would return to animation to work on “The Smurfs,” “He-Man,” and “She-Ra.”

kropotkindersurprise

Striking Disney animators guillotining an effigy of Walt. [link]

afloweroutofstone

Fuck you and fuck your “life’s work,” pay your workers crybaby

Before The Strike, page 52: i'll take that

Full comic so far

Buy me a tea?

Buy my radical cat stickers!

i am not defeated!

in october of 2016, the parliament of Poland enacted a total ban on abortion with 5 years prison time as punishment.

millions of women across the country went on strike from their jobs in response. not only did they strike from their places of work, hundreds of thousands struck from their "home duties" as well.

they removed their productive effort from the economy, and they removed their caring, unpaid reproductive labor from their homes.

the parliament capitulated almost immediately, reversing course and admitting they had been "taught humility".

if you are angry and frustrated and scared, take that impetus and organise. talk to everyone you know, ask how they feel. are they angry? are they scared? do they recognise the incredible power we all have when we join together and withhold our labor?

i use Poland as an example because it worked so well and so instantly.

it is already clear that this is only the first step for these judges. every shred of safety and dignity our lgbtqia+ community have struggled for is next on the chopping block, along with legal contraception and who knows what else.

this is an excellent opportunity to flex our power and show them that we will not roll over and show our bellies.

if you need help organising, the iww has a free and exhaustive training.

ozymalek-deactivated20240224

this is inaccurate. in 2016 some women protested, but it largely went unnoticed and the project to ban abortion did not pass any further. then four years later the constitutional tribunal (which has similar powers to the supreme court) did rule that abortion in the case of fetal abnormalities is unconstitutional and only then a huge wave of protests (possibly the biggest in modern poland’s history) similar to what you described happened. it did not matter at all, this ruling was accepted and is already in place, banning 98% of legal abortions in this country (and poland already had one of the strictest laws in europe). several women already died because of this ruling, since no doctor would risk aborting a fetus with abnormalities even if it risked the mother’s life. this is our reality.

the 2020 strike was enormous but so too was the 2016 "black strike". an estimated 6 million women went on strike in 2016.

abortion rights are not codified in Poland, as you say correctly. these strikes did not win abortion rights in the end. what mistakes of those strikes might we learn from to make our own successful?

ozymalek-deactivated20240224

what killed our protests is that the people who were leading it quickly put reproductive health aside and allowed it to become about general populist anti-government bullshit with no substance behind it. the neoliberal-centrist opposition quickly made it about themselves, about how if only we put them in power, they will put back the compromise (abortion allowed in three cases) back in place and everything will be rainbows and unicorns.

you cannot under any circumstance let democrats do the same. don’t let liberal democrats lead this fight, because it will quickly become not about winning the reproductive rights back, but about keeping them in power. keep centering reproductive health and don’t let them make it about democrats vs republicans or other arbitrary bullshit - it has to be about pregnant people from the beginning til the end. don’t back down. don’t stop. don’t go on compromises. make them afraid.

thank you for your insight! that is exceptionally helpful to the current struggle in the US. i think your analysis is spot on, and i couldn't agree more. solidarity!

fullmetalfisting

How about you create a platonic polycule with your coworkers called a union

You paid your union dues yet?

Yes

General Strikes are not impossible. They take a lot of work.

I drew this at the beginning of the pandemic in hopes that some might begin organising. We now find ourselves in the midst of an historic strike wave. Those strikes are being organised by unions. Labor activity on this scale has not been seen in America in a generation. Organising takes careful work and time, however, sometimes history gives you a leg up.

Do you want to help the work along? Join a union.

Here’s mine: iww.org

notsoterriblymisanthropic

Adil Belakhdim, a member of the SI Cobas union in Italy, was run over and killed by a scab truck while picketing a Lidl logistics center during a strike today.

I really want to unionize my work place, but I'm worried that our store will shut down if we succeed. During our training we were shown anti-union propaganda videos to discourage us and many other people who work for the same company have even been shown videos that mention termination if union activities go on. My store specifically is last in our county, even though my department has been making $20,000+ in profit each month. Are situations like these common? (Sorry if I sound all over the place, ask box limits and all that)

Excellent question. It would take an entire two day session in an OT101 to answer you completely but I'll do my best to address your concerns in this limited format.

To start with your last question—yes, anti-union propaganda of the sort you and your coworkers were to exposed to is extremely common, especially in the United States, if that is where you are.

It is illegal to terminate an employee for unionising efforts. All workers have the federally protected right to form a union but that does not and will not stop businesses from practicing illegal firings, intimidation and harassment if they so much as suspect organising efforts on the part of their employees.

Organising is dangerous. Getting fired can be catastrophic but it is not even the worst punishment this system will mete out in defense of the employing class. Workers on strike continue to get injured and killed by strike breakers and scabs. Organisers I personally know have been brutally attacked by police while on the picket line and have the permanent scars to show for it. If a strike is found to be "illegal" for any reason, the state will levy gratuitous fines and potential incarceration for workers it finds "guilty".

And then, to your first point, even if a union campaign is or appears as though it might potentially be successful, the owners can always just cut their losses, pull up stakes, fire the entire staff and start fresh somewhere else.

That all sounds pretty scary, doesn't it? Organising is a fight, plain and simple. The bosses have a playbook that has worked for them for a long time but what they don't want you to know is we have a playbook of our own and it works when we follow it carefully and creatively.

You may have heard the phrase "Agitate, Organise, WIN!" Not to be glib but that's what it can boil down to. When we organise safely, with attention and care, we win. Wins can be small. Wins can be big. When we organise correctly, we win and we win a lot more than you or any worker in this world will ever know.

Wins of the sort I have seen are not publicised. They are considered wounds to the bosses and bosses abhor the appearance of weakness, so most wins are played off as company policy or good management but the organisers know. The workers who won know what went into it behind the scenes.

The potential for loss is no reason not to fight. The stakes we face are all the more reason to organise right and organise right now.

Organising to win is a slow process. There aren't any short cuts. It takes perception, communication, listening, learning, brainstorming, a lot more listening, getting angry, being frustrated, sharing joy and so much courage in the face of bad odds.

Organising can also be the most rewarding thing you'll ever do.

Anyone can organise. You can start today if you want to badly enough. I can't promise you'll win. I can promise support and solidarity every step of the way.

the-spectre-of-communism

might just devote my blog exclusively to the onion headlines

the fuckin union that works for you

Ey, on ya way to work tomorrow, insteada sittin’ around witcha finger up ya ass, look arahwnd. There’s a union out there called AFSCME, and they’re bustin’ their balls for ya doin’ a lotta shit work you take for granted. For example, we pick up ya fuckin’ gahhbage. We got broads out dere who keep ya kids from gettin’ run over by some hard-on. We plug up da holes in da roads so ya don’t fuck up ya car. And we push around a lotta lil’ ol’ ladies from Flawwiduh. We’re out there zappin’ rats n’ roaches, and makin’ sure ya kids don’t drink piss from no fuckin’ watah fountain. We’re fuckin’ AFSCME: uhh, amalgamated, f-federalizat- hey, I dunno wha’ the fuck it means. All I know is we’re hard-workin’, tax-payin’ people like you, and we don’t take shit from nobody. You got dat, asshole? AFSCME: The fuckin’ union that works for you!

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