Wobblies
Industrial union members
Wobblies is the informal name for members of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), a radical labor union founded in 1905 that organized workers across industries and trades regardless of skill level or craft.
The IWW advocated for worker solidarity and direct action, gaining particular strength among miners, loggers, and migrant workers in the early twentieth century.
The Wobblies led some of the era's most dramatic strikes.
The origin of the nickname remains uncertain.
Union-led worker ownership theory
- rank and fileOrdinary members collectively
- organizingSystematically putting in order
- solidarityUnity among allies
- sabotageDeliberate disruption of operations
direct action · general strike · shop floor · working class · itinerant workers · miners · dockworkers · textile workers
Forceful impact or stoppage
- walkoutProtest by leaving
- picket lineProtesting workers' boundary
- boycottOrganized economic protest
- work stoppageOrganized cessation of labor
slowdown · wildcat strike · collective action · scabs · strikebreakers · labor dispute · lockout · demonstration
Music voicing political dissent
- labor songsMusic for worker movements
- rebel musicSongs of defiance
- anthemOfficial song of praise
- folk musicCommunity-born acoustic songs
Violent governmental overthrow
- antiestablishmentOpposed to dominant institutions
- agitatorOne who foments discord
- dissidentOpposer of established systems
- red scareMass anti-communist hysteria
sedition · subversive · class war · capitalism · exploitation · militancy · insurrection · rebellion
syndicalism
Union-led worker ownership theory
- rank and fileOrdinary members collectively
- organizingSystematically putting in order
- solidarityUnity among allies
sabotage · direct action · general strike · shop floor · working class · itinerant workers · miners · dockworkers · textile workers · black cat
strike
Forceful impact or stoppage
- walkoutProtest by leaving
- picket lineProtesting workers' boundary
- boycottOrganized economic protest
work stoppage · slowdown · wildcat strike · collective action · scabs · strikebreakers · labor dispute · lockout · demonstration · solidarity strike
protest songs
Music voicing political dissent
- labor songsMusic for worker movements
- rebel musicSongs of defiance
- anthemOfficial song of praise
revolution
Violent governmental overthrow
- antiestablishmentOpposed to dominant institutions
- agitatorOne who foments discord
- dissidentOpposer of established systems
red scare · sedition · subversive · class war · capitalism · exploitation · militancy · insurrection · rebellion · propaganda
Wobbliescapitalists
Owners of productive wealth
industrialists · strikebreakers · scabs · management · bosses