Excerpts from an IWW leaflet, mid 1990[1]
The three main groups organizing Redwood Summer—Earth First!, Seeds of Peace, and the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW, or Wobblies)—represent a broad spectrum of the direct action movement. These environmental, peace, and labor groups have gotten together to address the ecological and social issues raised by the current clear-cutting practices of the timber industry.
The exploitation of natural resources by the lumber companies is inevitably linked to the exploitation of labor. At the same time that Pacific Lumber (Maxxam) has accelerated their clear-cutting of old-growth redwood, Louisiana-Pacific has moved their milling operations to Mexico where they pay workers less than a dollar an hour. Unless we stop them, these corporations will leave the forests of the northwest (plus the economic communities dependent upon them) utterly devastated in their wake.
The destruction of this ancient and magnificent ecosystem, coupled with the threat it poses to the towns and families who have lived here for generations, has inspired an unprecedented alliance between a variety of groups and movements. The Wobblies are pleased to work with Earth First!, Seeds of Peace, and local community groups in this campaign to save trees and jobs. Only a broad-based coalition such as this can succeed against the powerful and well-funded timber barons.
The Wobblies advocate worker-ownership of the timber industry (and all industries). This is quite different than the “nationalization” of industries, in which one boss (the private employer) is substituted by another (the State).
We support real democracy in the workplace by putting all decision-making (and profits) into the hands of those who actually do the work. This is also the best assurance against environmental destruction, for the workers have an overwhelming self-interest in promoting safe and sustainable forms of production. After all, it’s the workers and their families who, under our current for-profit system, suffer the worst effects from pollution and other work-related health hazards.
FOR WORKER/COMMUNITY CONTROL—FOR A WORLD WITHOUT BOSSES.
Printed on Salvaged paper. Labor Donated
Notes:
[1] This leaflet was evidently intended to be distributed to effected timber workers. It is not an official IWW statement however, but rather issued by individual IWW members.