"The working class and the employing class have nothing in common" : the constitutive rhetoric of the IWW

Abstract

Since the 1970s labor unions have experienced significant decline, leading to an immense wealth gap between the wealthiest of Americans and the poorest. Reversing this tide will require a revitalization of organized labor. This study examined the organizing rhetoric of the Industrial Workers of the World, a historic labor union which this study argues offers organizational strategies that might return organized labor to its previous strength. The IWW employs constitutive rhetoric to instill workers with a sense of class consciousness before asking them to take principled collective action in solidarity. I argue that this action is offers a viable strategy to counter expanding right to work laws and the privatization and deregulation movement.