On a recent
(July 2012) trip to the USA during which I spent a week in Chicago, I took the
opportunity to visit the IWW head office which is situated there.
Next morning
I and my partner took the elevated train line, known as the 'El' to Chicagoans,
to the suburb of West Montrose, a working-class district a long way from the
skyscrapers of down town Chicago. We found the place easily and I was relieved
to see what was basically a little corner book store with familiar looking
pamphlets, books and IWW paraphernalia displayed in the windows and nothing in
the least intimidating about it at all!
Inside I was
pleased to meet a bunch of very friendly people and introductions were made.
There were five people working there that day, sometimes there are a few more.
Customers drop in to browse the very well stocked book shelves of course and
they sometimes also get visitors, both FWs like myself, or people who have
heard of the IWW and want to find out more about it.
Among the
five people there that day there were two interns who, when I asked them
whether they were being exploited, replied cheerfully that they were but didn't
mind in the least! One of the girls was in the happy position of earning
herself credits towards her upcoming course at grad-school where she will be
studying political science. (British universities please copy!)
They were
all very interested in hearing about our Brunel group, what we were doing and
what we were hoping to achieve, in particular with regard to the cleaners and
the gains they had made and the battle ahead for the London Living Wage. I was
asked to keep them posted on developments. As the 'nerve centre' of the IWW
they have their ears close to the ground in any case.
Sam Green,
the General Secretary of the union, came out of his office to say hello. We
chatted for a while and he showed me one of their ongoing projects, which is
the mapping of IWW members throughout North America with a view to connecting
single, isolated fellow workers within various areas who otherwise would not
know of each other's existence – a very necessary and worthwhile task. I was
also shown an urn in a display case which contained the ashes of the famous
Swedish born activist and song-writer Joe Hill. I was told that it contained
just a portion of his ashes, other portions being in other locations.
They were
also still in the process of re-organising after a fire in their previous
office earlier in the year which fortunately resulted only in water damage to
the part of the premises they occupied, but meant that they had to spend months
finding an affordable alternative space. They were happy in the place they now
found themselves in and were settling in well.
I spent some
time looking around the shop and bought some pamphlets, papers and a very flash
looking red tote bag to put them in! I reluctantly had to leave without any of
the very interesting books as I was already packed to the gills and couldn't
have managed to fit in anything more, I intend to visit the online shop
however.
After taking
some photos inside and outside the lovely little office/shop we said our
farewells and left.
I would
certainly recommend anyone who happens to be in Chicago that they go and visit
the IWW HQ and the welcoming, interested and committed people who work there.
Actually Chicago itself has played a key part in labour history from the 19th
century onwards. It was there that the Haymarket massacre took place for
instance and there is a monument near the city centre to the people who
perished and the anarchists who were executed afterwards for their alleged part
in the tragedy. The martyrs themselves I was told, are buried in a cemetery
further out which is also the final resting place of the once notorious
anarchist writer and activist, Emma Goldman. Unfortunately we didn't get a
chance to go there and pay our respects, but next time perhaps!
