Socialist Progressives

Last edited Sat Sep 14, 2013, 03:39 PM - Edit history (1)

What about democratically run co-operative business? Are they all seen as workers? Those are worker-owners, yet they have interests that are the same as workers everywhere. They are the embodiment of what Bill Haywood knew this movement and power could achieve, and where he parted with what I see as the traditional "government ownership" meme associated with "socialism". So just wondering...

Is there anything like an auxiliary of unemployed, craft-less people as an arm of the IWW?, Maybe subsidized, no dues, or $1 a year, get them in the fold so to speak, offer them education they can't get anywhere else?

We live in a different time. When Haywood was organizing people were were shot, hung, jailed, imprisoned for not helping the wealthy take their money, in a time before organizing got some legal protection, and before Gompers and his crew sided with the wealthy. Now people are sent food stamps, income tax subsidies, unemployment, many of those put in place to keep them from seeking to join with others or march in the streets, or because they did. Now that motivation that would have driven them to seek out the IWW is gone, so there is really no reason that _they_ see, (which is the most important thing for motivation). They will never hear any of this stuff in school beyond a few meaningless dates, largely no critical discussion, and even less chance if they go to most colleges.

Is there an effort to bring these ideas to that crowd?