June 15
GUEST: Ahmed White, author and
professor of labor and criminal law at the University of
Colorado Boulder, talks about his recently released book: Under
the Iron Heel: The Wobblies and the Capitalist War on
Radical Workers.
Under
the Iron Heel: The Wobblies and the Capitalist War
The history of the IWW shows how state terrorism has been used in the past to oppress workers and their families. It is no wonder that unions have not prospered in the US. Ahmed White gives example after example of how capitalists destroyed the grand coalition of unskilled workers who were simply trying to achieve some dignity and make a living wage.
Liberals and progressives don't come out so well. Few in the middle class came out to support unskilled, mostly immigrant laborers. One is left to assume that most affluent workers didn't care that masses of seasonal workers were payed very little, forced to work in dangerous jobs, and beaten when they stood up for their basic rights.
It is a depressing tale, but one full of idealism and heroic acts. Despite the destruction of the IWW, this early labor movement provided an example of what an all inclusive union might look like. Perhaps the IWW was a first step in achieving a just and supportive society for all workers.
As we face the growing danger of fascism, let's remember how we got here. The billionaires have multiplied exponentially, while the rest of America has suffered. The triumph of our capitalist system paves the way for the destruction of the last vestiges of democracy.
