INDUSTRIAL WORKER

O f f i c i a l n e w s p a p e r oF T h e I n d u s t r i a l Wo r k e r s o f t h e Wo r l d
Ap r i l 2 0 13 #175 4 Vol . 110 No. 3 $2/ 2/ 2

After More Than A Century, Industrial Worker Publishes Last Issue

By X359437 Citing irreparable financial issues and other internal problems, the IWW General Secretary-Treasurer (GST) and the Industrial Worker ( IW ) editor announced on April 1, 2013, that the IW will no longer be available in print format due to an endless spiral of financial loss which can only be remedied by discontinuing the official newspaper of the Industrial Workers of the World. Sure, as a union were into building workers power and all that, but our primary focus in 2013 is really about one thing: money, said GST Sam Green. Larger unions like the AFL-CIO are doing really well these days and, honestly, we could learn a thing or two from them, he added, though he did not specify what he meant by thisleaving a lot to the Wobbly imagination. According to IW editor Diane K., the 500 to 2,000-word articles previously available in the newspaper will now be converted to 14o characters or less and posted on Twitter. Meanwhile, the IWs Facebook page will be used exclusively for popular internet memes and cool animated GIFs. If we want to remain relevant to the working classor middle class as I am now calling itwe need to redirect our energy to creating media that they can relate to, said FW Diane. No one wants to read four straight pages of dry theory or someones latest ideas on industrial classification. The people want pictures of LOLCats and YouTube videos and hashtags, she said, adding that much of the

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General Executive Board Votes To Move May Day To April 1st

By FW Redd Card anymore. In a closed-door conference call When I hear about the Hayat the end of March, the IWWs market riot, I imagine a hagglingGeneral Executive Board (GEB) gone-wrong scenerio at that openagreed to move International air produce market in Boston, Workers Day from May 1 to April added FW Brie C., who is not on the 1, beginning this year. GEB but was a vocal participant in We thought it was time for a the conference call. change of pace, said current GEB Workers of the world dont Chair Monika Vykoukal. All the know anything about the mar major unions in North America tyrs in Chicago. The eight-hour and Europe, and I guess through- workday is irrelevant now that out the world, call for the general so many working-class people strike to be on May 1st. are unemployed or are So we thought, Hey, regularly forced to work were a revolutionary overtime. More imporunion, lets start acting tantly, when regular like one! blue-collar folks hear Fellow board memMay Day, they think bers agreed the shift of an airplane crashing would help modernize or kids dancing around the unions image while Graphic: twitter.com/IWW_News the maypole. The first increasing the chances of a full- association they have with May Day blown general strike to actually is not International Workers Day, happen this year. and it is definitely not the general GEB member X8675309 agreed strike, added FW Brie. with FW Vykoukal on the need for At press time, FW Vykoukal such a change. Trying to have a said the GEB still hasnt figured out general strike on May 1st has never how to tell all the workers of the worked for us in the past, so its world to walk out on strike today. obviously not going to work for us Im sure well get the word in the future either, she said. out, she said. FW X8675309 called May Day Maybe well send out an anarchaic, and a concept that sim- nouncement over the listserve. ply doesnt resonate with workers Everyone reads the listserve.

new content will not be about labor issues at all, but rather on entertaining content that workers can relate to. IWW Finance Committee member Jason Krpan said the move will benefit the union financially, saving the IWW a good chunk of change. FW Krpan, who played an influential role in the two-person decision to switch to digital, added that IW digital content will exclusively feature trending the Finance Committee has oth- internet themes, particularly photos of cats. As for the remainder of 2013, er recommendations for improving the unions finances. This will the IW editor and the GST plan to include a mandatory dues increase send a letter of apology to all memfor all memberseffective immedi- bers and subscribers, but said they atelyas well as the elimination of will not be able to provide a refund all paid staff positions at General of any sort. The change is effective beginHeadquarters. The GST position will be dismantled and divided into ning in May. The current April four new jobs that can be done via issue will be the last IW to ever appear in print. the cloud, he said.

Promotional graphic for the new International Workers Day, April 1st.

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