I've been considering for some time trying to organize an autonomous workers union in my workplace - namely, because the larger union, the MEAA, doesn't seem to give two shits about cinema workers, what so ever, and unions involved in the ACTU seem to be indifferent to Youth Wages* and how it affects young workers. So, what tips have those who've organized in their workplace before, whether starting an autonomous union, or a syndicate within a revolutionary union, such as the IWW, for those of us who've no experience doing it? Where, and how do we start? I know for one, that people in my work place are seeking a union - its come up in discussion a lot, largely in ones I'm not involved with, even with security guards being annoyed about there being no union - there are also a lot of socialists, communists, and anarchists (and social democrats, of course) at my work, as well as a lot of back packers. So yes, where do I start? Is it better to organize an autonomous union, or a syndicate within an existing union like the IWW (noting its very small here, but that shouldn't change anything)?
I would imagine that, given the size of the Wobs in Oz, the choice between organizing an autonomous union and joining the IWW would be "six in one, half-dozen in the other" -- with the single exception that they do have some literary resources and organizing material/manuals that might be useful for your situation. I don't know if the IWW have put together an Organizer's Training weekend there yet, but if you see a training coming up, I would highly recommend it.
They haven't, as far as I know. The IWW is very, very small. When I was actively organizing in the youth anarchist collective, Alarm, we tried to organize a training weekend like that - it was like Workplace organizing - but it fell through due to lack of organization. The thing is, the IWW doesn't have really the people within it now to be able to do anything like that, yet there is no shortage of well educated anarcho-syndicalists (etc) in Sydney (Where I'm from) to be able to organize such a thing. So, would it be better to try and organize one of these things again - an Organizers Training weekend - and get some of these anarchists involved (And if any, communists)?
It might be better to see if you could organize a training weekend for you and your co-workers, where you can talk about these issues. As much as I am no fan of Labor Notes as an organization, their Troublemaker's Handbook is a great organizing resource. The book is US$24 -- which is, what?, 50 cents where you are at this point -- and well worth the investment. You might also get some of the materials you need from the companion website.
