The Fire Never Dies: Labor's Star Ascendant

Industrial Unions
Agricultural Workers Industrial Union
All workers who cultivate land, raise crops, or work with livestock including those workers on farms, ranches, orchards and plantations, and those workers in supporting industries such as breeding and large animal veterinary services.

Lumber Workers Industrial Union

All workers on tree farms, in forestry and logging operations, in saw and shingle mills, in preparing wood for fuel and manufacture, and in bark, brush and sap collection.

Fishery Workers Industrial Union

All workers who fish and harvest on oceans, lakes, and rivers including those workers who are engaged in receiving, unloading, and processing catches at the wharf and those workers who specifically distribute these products.

Mine Workers Industrial Union

All workers in mines extracting metals, coal, or minerals including those engaged in smelters, mills, and other reduction works, as well as workers engaged in processing and distributing these materials.

Energy Workers Industrial Union

All workers who are involved in all forms of energy exploration, production, and harvesting including workers in refineries and processing facilities, and workers engaged in the distribution of these products.

Civil Construction Workers Industrial Union
All workers who build transportation, water, and pipeline infrastructure.

Ship and Boat Builders Industrial Union

All workers who build and repair ships, boats and small vessels including dry dock and support workers in these facilities.

Building Construction Workers Industrial Union

All workers who construct, renovate, or demolish buildings including those workers employed by general construction contractors and in prefabrication of houses and major components.

Building Maintenance and Landscaping Workers Industrial Union

All workers in routine commercial and residential building maintenance such as painting, plumbing, HVAC, and gutter cleaning. All workers not otherwise engaged who provide janitorial and landscaping services in privately owned establishments.

Textile and Leather Workers Industrial Union
All workers who manufacture material from natural or synthetic fibers, process or distribute leather and leather substitutes, or fabricate wearing apparel.

Wood Processing and Furniture Workers Industrial Union

All workers who process wood products or build wood furniture. All workers in pulp or paper mills.

Chemical Workers Industrial Union

All workers who produce chemically-based products such as drugs, paint, rubber, explosives, medicines, chemicals, plastics, and synthetic fibers.

Metal and Machinery Workers Industrial Union

All workers in metal production including steel mills, aluminum plants, tool and die shops, and other metal-related industries. All workers engaged in the production, repair, or maintenance of metal or composite products including agricultural machinery, automobiles, locomotives, bicycles, or aircraft.

Printing and Publishing Workers Industrial Union

All workers who produce and distribute newspapers, books, catalogues, and other printed matter including reporters, journalists, staff writers, photographers, graphic artists, researchers, and programmers within the publishing industry.

Food Product Workers Industrial Union

All workers, except agricultural and fishery workers, who produce, process and distribute foodstuffs, beverages, and tobacco products.

Electronics and Instrument Workers Industrial Union

All workers who manufacture and assemble electronic devices, musical instruments, jewellery and timepieces, and components of technical, medical, and scientific instruments.

Glass, Pottery, and Mineral Workers Industrial Union

All workers who produce glass, pottery, chinaware, tile, bricks, wallboard, lime, gypsum, cement, abrasives, and other non-metallic mineral products other than fuels.

Marine and Aviation Workers Industrial Union
All workers in cargo and passenger transportation by water or air. All repair, maintenance, and supply workers specific to the marine or aviation industry. All workers in ports and aerodromes, including food, beverage, and newsstand workers

Railroad Workers Industrial Union
All workers in long distance railway freight and passenger transportation. All repair, maintenance, and supply workers specific to the railroad industry. All workers in railroad terminals, including food, beverage, and newsstand workers.

Ground Transportation and Transit Workers Industrial Union
All workers in freight and passenger transportation by ground including truck, commuter rail, bus, limousine, cab, and pedicab. All workers in towing and storage of motor vehicles. All repair, maintenance, and supply workers specific to the industry. All workers in bus and transit stations, including food, beverage, and newsstand workers.

Postal, Express, and Message Delivery Workers Industrial Union
All non-governmental workers in processing, transfer, and delivery of letters and messages by motor vehicle and bicycle.

General Distribution Workers Industrial Union
All workers in general wholesale and warehouse facilities not attached to a particular industry. All workers engaged in support activities for transportation and storage of goods including packing and crating services, inspection and survey services, freight-forwarding services, etc.

Communications Workers Industrial Union

All workers who provide and maintain telegraph and telephone operations. All workers who collect, store, and retrieve information by conducting market research, opinion polling, fundraising, and archival and statistical research services. All workers in telephone call centers or who work in communications and public relations.

Video, Audio, and Film Production Workers Industrial Union

All workers who produce recorded music, video games, motion pictures, and radio and television programs or distribute them for sale, rental, or broadcast. All workers involved in providing auxiliary services to the industry including food and beverage, catering, talent booking, set and costume production, equipment and location rentals, bulk duplication of recorded media, etc.

Health Service Workers Industrial Union
All workers employed in hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, and medical offices, including workers in rehabilitation centers, medical research services, health-maintenance organizations, medical billing services, and other industries auxiliary to health services.

Education and Research Workers Industrial Union
All workers in educational institutions including educators, students (except those mainly employed outside the education industry), and those in industries auxiliary to education including testing services, educational consulting services, dedicated school bus services, etc. All workers in research institutions including foundations and museums, enterprises primarily engaged in providing technical and scientific services, and in research laboratories not attached to educational institutions.

Performing Arts, Recreation, and Tourism Workers Industrial Union
All workers involved in the creation and dissemination of the performing arts including writers, dancers, and performing artists in theaters, concert halls, opera houses, movie theatres, and similar establishments. All workers involved in the recreation and tourist industries including amusement parks, carnivals, race tracks, casinos, brothels, and guiding services. All workers involved in providing auxiliary services to the industry including food and beverage, catering, talent booking, set and costume production, equipment and location rentals, etc.

Freelance and Temporary Workers Industrial Union

All workers who are engaged in multiple industries on a temporary or short-term contractual basis who obtain their own clients or are engaged through employment and temporary staffing agencies.

Restaurant, Hotel, and Catering Workers Industrial Union
All workers in facilities for food and beverage services, public accommodation, and catering services not dedicated to serving a particular industry.

General, Legal, Public Interest, and Financial Office Workers Industrial Union

All workers who provide legal services including those in law offices and attorneys who are actual wage- workers, title settlement offices, title-search services, notary offices, and those who provide services to the legal industry including law publishers, private investigators, legal researchers, and brief-writing and transcription services. All workers who provide financial and insurance services including those in credit unions, accounting, and insurance cooperatives. All workers for enterprises primarily engaged in providing humane services to the public, other than health services, including those in religious, charitable, public advocacy, employment agencies, community, and service organizations not otherwise organized.

Military and Defense Workers

All uniformed personnel in the armed services. All contractors employed by the military. All civil sector workers employed by the Commissariat for

Government Workers Industrial Union

All civil service workers at the federal, commonwealth, county, and municipal levels not otherwise organized including office staff, police officers, librarians, utility and construction inspectors, firefighters, recreation workers, corrections workers, and public works. All incarcerated workers.

Retail Workers Industrial Union

All workers in retail establishments unless otherwise organized.

Utility and Sanitation Workers Industrial Union
All non-government workers engaged in the supply, maintenance, and transmission of gas, electric, water, and sewer services. All workers employed in the collection and processing of disposable and recyclable materials.

Household and Personal Service Workers Industrial Union
All workers performing services in and around the home including homemakers, cooks, maids, and house cleaning services. All workers performing personal services for individuals and families including barber shops, beauty salons, massage services, dry cleaning and laundry establishments, tailor shops, funeral parlors and crematoria, veterinary offices and other animal care centers.
 
So, two big things. 1. Presumably this setup for the industrial unions is a modern one. I saw the mention of video games and a few other things that seemed a bit too modern for 1919. 2. How fluid is this arrangement? The creation, growth, decline, and death of various industries is a fairly regular occurrence, which would necessitate some shuffling around of what’s under these union’s umbrellas (or even the wholesale creation of new industrial unions). As a side note, what industrial Union would people working in the production and distribution of recreational drugs work under? I saw the food/beverage Union include tobacco products, but I don’t think I saw anything else about it, unless they’re just lumped into the agricultural/chemical/other unions.
 
So, two big things. 1. Presumably this setup for the industrial unions is a modern one. I saw the mention of video games and a few other things that seemed a bit too modern for 1919. 2. How fluid is this arrangement? The creation, growth, decline, and death of various industries is a fairly regular occurrence, which would necessitate some shuffling around of what’s under these union’s umbrellas (or even the wholesale creation of new industrial unions).
It's been mentioned that if a union starts to decline as a result of changes in their industry they'll usually just vote to merge with another one. The fact that there's an election for it every year would make the chamber very responsive to changes in the labor market. Maybe there's a census every three years to reshuffle the number of seats per union?
As a side note, what industrial Union would people working in the production and distribution of recreational drugs work under? I saw the food/beverage Union include tobacco products, but I don’t think I saw anything else about it, unless they’re just lumped into the agricultural/chemical/other unions.
I could see it contained entirely within either the agricultural or recreational union. It'll probably be within whatever one manages the alcohol supply.
 
If this is a modern list, then what union represents workers that manufacture plastic products? Or is this a hint that by the modern day, manufacturing of plastic goods (besides textiles and electronics) isn't really a significant sector of American manufacturing?

Eg, maybe a syndicalist economy without pervasive advertising means America never really developed a market for dollar-store plastic crap (or maybe this is just an oversight ;)).

I'm very much looking forward to seeing how the ASU's economy evolves! I'd love to speculate, but I don't know if we've gotten enough details on the immediate post-war economic organization to be able to guess how things will go. Are all large to medium-sized enterprises under worker self-management now? How are factory and retail cooperatives organizing themselves, and how are they making their market decisions? I guess during the transition to worker ownership, strategic decisions will be mostly business-as-usual, but as time goes by, how will the decision-making of "businesses" change from OTL, and how will this shake out across society? That's a big question, I know, but it's one I'm looking forward to see get slowly answered one update at a time when we're in part 2 :)
 
If this is a modern list, then what union represents workers that manufacture plastic products? Or is this a hint that by the modern day, manufacturing of plastic goods (besides textiles and electronics) isn't really a significant sector of American manufacturing?

Eg, maybe a syndicalist economy without pervasive advertising means America never really developed a market for dollar-store plastic crap (or maybe this is just an oversight ;)).
It would be part of the Chemical Workers union I presume.
I'm very much looking forward to seeing how the ASU's economy evolves! I'd love to speculate, but I don't know if we've gotten enough details on the immediate post-war economic organization to be able to guess how things will go. Are all large to medium-sized enterprises under worker self-management now? How are factory and retail cooperatives organizing themselves, and how are they making their market decisions? I guess during the transition to worker ownership, strategic decisions will be mostly business-as-usual, but as time goes by, how will the decision-making of "businesses" change from OTL, and how will this shake out across society? That's a big question, I know, but it's one I'm looking forward to see get slowly answered one update at a time when we're in part 2 :)
Can't wait!
 
What colors/symbols do the American parties use? Different shades of red for the SLP/RSP make sense and I expect two hands shaking for the former and an arm and hammer for the latter but I'm curious about the Progressives and the Federalists. For the Progressives maybe green with a liberty bell, for the Federalists maybe a dark blue and a fasces 🤔
 
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For whom? I imagine the Commissariat for War. But clarification is always nice.
Yeah, it's war.
Are Sex Workers covered under PART(WIU) or HPS(WIU)?
PART.
So it does. Apparently, I am blind!
The Commissariat for Health has you covered.
So, two big things. 1. Presumably this setup for the industrial unions is a modern one. I saw the mention of video games and a few other things that seemed a bit too modern for 1919.
It is. It's based on the IWW's system of industrial unions. I tried to catch all of the modern references.
2. How fluid is this arrangement? The creation, growth, decline, and death of various industries is a fairly regular occurrence, which would necessitate some shuffling around of what’s under these union’s umbrellas (or even the wholesale creation of new industrial unions).
All the unions are organized into six departments (I'll edit the post to include them), which were established in the Constitution. The departments oversee the redefinition of unions, including merging, breaking up, or creating entirely new unions.
As a side note, what industrial Union would people working in the production and distribution of recreational drugs work under? I saw the food/beverage Union include tobacco products, but I don’t think I saw anything else about it, unless they’re just lumped into the agricultural/chemical/other unions.
Food Product Workers.
It's been mentioned that if a union starts to decline as a result of changes in their industry they'll usually just vote to merge with another one. The fact that there's an election for it every year would make the chamber very responsive to changes in the labor market. Maybe there's a census every three years to reshuffle the number of seats per union?
I hadn't decided how often the unions are reshuffled, but 3 years seems reasonable. Unlike the commonwealths, the unions base their representation off of membership rolls.
I could see it contained entirely within either the agricultural or recreational union. It'll probably be within whatever one manages the alcohol supply.
Which would also be Food Product Workers.
If this is a modern list, then what union represents workers that manufacture plastic products? Or is this a hint that by the modern day, manufacturing of plastic goods (besides textiles and electronics) isn't really a significant sector of American manufacturing?

Eg, maybe a syndicalist economy without pervasive advertising means America never really developed a market for dollar-store plastic crap (or maybe this is just an oversight ;)).
They're under chemical workers. Plastic is far too common to leave out. I also wouldn't assume that we won't see advertising, since we're still using money.
I'm very much looking forward to seeing how the ASU's economy evolves! I'd love to speculate, but I don't know if we've gotten enough details on the immediate post-war economic organization to be able to guess how things will go. Are all large to medium-sized enterprises under worker self-management now?
Yes. Theoretically, all businesses are supposed to be under worker self-management.
How are factory and retail cooperatives organizing themselves, and how are they making their market decisions? I guess during the transition to worker ownership, strategic decisions will be mostly business-as-usual, but as time goes by, how will the decision-making of "businesses" change from OTL, and how will this shake out across society? That's a big question, I know, but it's one I'm looking forward to see get slowly answered one update at a time when we're in part 2 :)
It varies widely. Many cooperatives in the North have been under worker control since the Revolution began, and have had time to adjust. By contrast, you have plenty of businesses, particularly in Texas or Florida, where the boss was a genuinely nice guy and got elected by his former employees. The largest difference I can expect is that cooperatives will probably be more cautious on average than corporations.
It would be part of the Chemical Workers union I presume.
Yep
Can't wait!
Neither can I!
What colors/symbols do the American parties use? Different shades of red for the SLP/RSP make sense and I expect two hands shaking for the former and an arm and hammer for the latter but I'm curious about the Progressives and the Federalists.
The SLP uses the arm and hammer (the hands shaking was the SPA, which was absorbed back into the SLP) and a bright red. The RSP would use dark red and a torch. The Progressives use green and a moose, and the Federalists use blue and an eagle. Incidentally, since no one was using it, Benjamin Hanford stole the old SPA emblem and used it for the Commissariat for Foreign Affairs.
 
This might be getting to into the nitty gritty, but are the goverments of the commonwealths also arranged in a similar way to the national goverment, with a central committee as executive and two house legislatures like the workers congress?

Love the timeline and excited to see where part 2 goes!
 
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This might be getting to into the nitty gritty, but are the goverments of the commonwealths also arranged in a similar way to the national goverment, with a central committee as executive and two house legislatures like the workers congress?

Love the timeline and excited to see where part 2 goes!
Generally, yes. A similar pattern exists in other socialist states.
 
How are the IWW branches outside the USA faring?
It varies. Most of them were autonomous, sharing the principles of the American IWW, but not the actual organizational structure. They are subject to government persecution, but their stature among socialists has risen greatly.

The one that stands out is the Canadian IWW, which was part of the American organization. They aren't being persecuted because Canada is terrified of the Red Army.
 
It varies. Most of them were autonomous, sharing the principles of the American IWW, but not the actual organizational structure. They are subject to government persecution, but their stature among socialists has risen greatly.

The one that stands out is the Canadian IWW, which was part of the American organization. They aren't being persecuted because Canada is terrified of the Red Army.
Also how is RSDLP seeing Trotsky?
 
It varies. Most of them were autonomous, sharing the principles of the American IWW, but not the actual organizational structure. They are subject to government persecution, but their stature among socialists has risen greatly.

The one that stands out is the Canadian IWW, which was part of the American organization. They aren't being persecuted because Canada is terrified of the Red Army.
We need a Communist Canada!
 
Also how is RSDLP seeing Trotsky?
First, the RSDLP is now the BSDLP, having become an explicitly Belarusian socialist party (albeit one still dominated by Russians. Second, most Bolsheviks know Trotsky as "that Russian general in America" and as Pravda's main US correspondent for nearly a decade. There are a few who think he abandoned the Russian cause, and plenty who wish that he had stayed behind but understand why he didn't.
We need a Communist Canada!
Not anytime soon. But one of the first updates of Part 2 will deal with Canada (and, more broadly, the resumption of Anglo-American diplomatic relations).
 
First, the RSDLP is now the BSDLP, having become an explicitly Belarusian socialist party (albeit one still dominated by Russians. Second, most Bolsheviks know Trotsky as "that Russian general in America" and as Pravda's main US correspondent for nearly a decade. There are a few who think he abandoned the Russian cause, and plenty who wish that he had stayed behind but understand why he didn't.

Not anytime soon. But one of the first updates of Part 2 will deal with Canada (and, more broadly, the resumption of Anglo-American diplomatic relations).
*audible sigh*😪
 
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