The Lawrence Textile Strike Of 1912: Innovations In The Labor Movement

1037 Words5 Pages

The IWW should be studied more for its innovations than its failures, because many of the innovations set out by the IWW would set the tone for freedoms and rights to come in the labor movement. Two extremely important innovations that the IWW set into motion was the freedom speech fights in order to bring attention to the neglected rights of the labor movement. As well as the groundbreaking strategies of the Lawrence textile strike of 1912. That would shine a light on the horrible conditions that many immigrants would have to withstand in the United States during the Industrial Revolution. These innovations use tactics that show the injustices the working class had to endure. Both innovations would lead either to alterations or creations of laws and legislation in favor of the labor movement and the betterment of conditions. As well as lead the way for other labor unions in their fights to better conditions for the labor movement. The IWW started their battle for free speech against big business in 1909 in Spokane. Many thousands of unemployed immigrant workers would travel through Spokane in search of work and the “American Dream”. Once reaching Spokane they found that it was far from what they envisioned. The town jail would double as a brothel, many hobos and tramps threaten …show more content…

The idea behind this which would be spread through soapbox speeches was job control, the workers were able to control their ability to work and not pay to receive jobs. With the help of everyone not buying into jobs and employment agencies migrant workers were able to control jobs. “As the migratory workers began to constitute themselves as a union of hobo orators they were able to exploit the contradiction within the regional mode of