Industrial Workers of the World
Noun
Meaning
a former international labor union and radical labor movement in the United States; founded in Chicago in 1905 and dedicated to the overthrow of capitalism; its membership declined after World War I
Source: WordNetSynonyms
Hypernyms
Examples
A strong supporter of labor struggles, he was a member of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), the International Union of Mine, Mill, and Smelter Workers (Mine Mill), and the Travelling Musician's Union AFM Local 1000.
In one typical instance in 1923, author Upton Sinclair was arrested for trying to read the First Amendment during an Industrial Workers of the World rally.
The event was sponsored by Omni Center, Compassion Fayetteville, Unitarian Universalist Fellowship and Industrial Workers of the World as a way to explore racism and what white residents must do to contribute to ending racism.
Their opponents were the radicals who wanted to overthrow capitalism, tried to infiltrate labor unions, and sought to cooperate with the Industrial Workers of the World ("the Wobblies").
Labor unions such as the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) have advocated sabotage as a means of self-defense and direct action against unfair working conditions.
New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2002 Among labor and leftist organizations, the Industrial Workers of the World were the sole exception to this pattern.