Critique of capitalism released in 1911
The Industrial Worker, "the voice of revolutionary labor," is the newspaper of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), a radical labor union. It is currently released eleven times a year, printed and edited by union labor, and is frequently distributed at radical bookstores, demonstrations, strikes and labor rallies. It contains news relevant to working class activists, such as information on strikes, direct action against employers, labor history, and general labor issues.
The newspaper was first printed in 1909 in Spokane, Washington. In the early years, it was printed weekly and circulated west of the Mississippi while the IWW's "Official Eastern Organ" was Solidarity from Cleveland. The Spokane paper was the birthplace of the beloved comic strip character Mr. Block, later commemorated in a Joe Hill song. During the time it served as the Western organ of the IWW, Industrial Worker usually ran four pages, with an annual eight page May Day issue reflecting on gains of the labor movement in the previous year. Circulation fell off due to the repression of the IWW during and after the First World War, reflecting a decline in the influence of radical unionism more generally.
Issues of the Industrial Worker are often available on microfilm at university libraries and other research oriented facilities, as they contain a wealth of information on labor issues not easily found in the mainstream press of the time.
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