First Convention of the Industrial Workers of the World facts for kids

When Bill Haywood, a leader for workers' rights, started the first big meeting of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), he used a board like a gavel. He said it was like the "Continental Congress of the working class." He meant they were there to unite workers across the country. Their goal was to create a movement that would help workers gain freedom and better lives.

Why a New Workers' Union Was Needed

The idea for the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) began in late 1904. Six important leaders met to talk about workers' rights. These leaders included William Trautmann and George Estes. Other well-known people, like Eugene V. Debs, also helped them.

These leaders believed that the unions already in place weren't doing enough. They felt these unions couldn't truly help working people. Some unions, like the American Federation of Labor (AFL), were seen as too old-fashioned. They mostly helped skilled workers, not everyone. Other unions, like the American Labor Union (ALU) and the Western Federation of Miners (WFM), struggled. They often lacked strong teamwork among different groups of workers. The WFM had also faced tough times recently.

Planning the First Big Meeting

After their first talk, the leaders decided to hold a bigger, secret meeting. This meeting happened on January 2, 1905, in Chicago. Twenty-three people attended, representing nine different groups.

At this meeting, they wrote an important document called a manifesto. This manifesto explained why the current worker unions weren't working well. It especially criticized unions that separated workers by their specific skills. The manifesto then suggested a new way for workers to organize. It called for a large meeting to create this new kind of union. This founding meeting was set for June 27, also in Chicago. The manifesto was sent to unions all over America and even to unions in Europe.

The First IWW Convention in 1905

The first big meeting of the IWW in 1905 was a huge event. Two hundred and three people who supported workers' rights attended. They came from 43 different groups, representing many types of jobs.

Seventy delegates from 23 groups had special permission. They could officially join their groups with the new industrial union being formed. Another 72 delegates from 20 other groups were there to listen and report back. The remaining 61 delegates didn't represent any specific group. Only the delegates who could officially join their groups had voting power. Their votes were based on how many members their group had. Other delegates had only one vote each.

Who Had the Most Power?

Some unions at the convention were also part of the American Federation of Labor (AFL). However, these were mostly small local unions. They didn't have much power at the IWW meeting. Only five AFL-affiliated groups had delegates ready to join the new union.

The 23 unions that were ready to join had about 51,430 members in total. The other 20 groups had about 91,500 members. This meant that a smaller number of groups held most of the voting power.

Most of the votes came from just five organizations. These were the Western Federation of Miners (with 27,000 members) and the American Labor Union (with 16,750 members). The other three were the United Metal Workers, United Brotherhood of Railway Employees, and the Socialist Trade and Labor Alliance. These few groups held almost all the power at the convention. The first two unions listed had ten times more members than all the others combined!