This is a list of

slogan A slogan is a memorable motto or phrase used in a clan or a political, commercial, religious, or other context as a repetitive expression of an idea or purpose, with the goal of persuading members of the public or a more defined target group ...

s used by organized labor, or by workers who are attempting to organize.

Glossary of labor slogans

* The slogan "An injury to one..." has a long history in the union movement. Initially attributed to the Knights of Labor, the expression took the form "an injury to one is the concern of all." At the suggestion of David C. Coates, the

Industrial Workers of the World The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), whose members are nicknamed "Wobblies", is an international labor union founded in Chicago, United States in 1905. The nickname's origin is uncertain. Its ideology combines general unionism with indu ...

at their founding convention in 1905 adopted a variation of the expression, rendered as " an injury to one is an injury to all." * Boring from within is a crude translation of a French

syndicalist Syndicalism is a labour movement within society that, through industrial unionism, seeks to unionize workers according to industry and advance their demands through strikes and other forms of direct action, with the eventual goal of gainin ...

expression, ''la pénétration'', (literally, ''penetration'') which, according to Paul Brissenden, was initially recommended to the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) by William Z. Foster, as a preferred alternative to ''dual unionism'' with regard to the AFL. The IWW ignored the recommendation in 1911, and rejected the tactic as impossible in 1914. Foster, who had become a member of the IWW in 1909, left that organization and joined the newly formed Communist Party in the early 1900s. * The boss needs you, you don't need him is an expression from the Industrial Workers of the World, who envisioned "a world without bosses." * Bosses beware — when we're screwed, we multiply * Bread and Roses is an expression, the name of a poem, a song title, and a movie, derived from a picket sign carried by a woman striker in 1911 in Lawrence, Massachusetts, during what came to be called the Bread and Roses strike. The message on the homemade sign was, "We Want Bread, and Roses Too." The slogan calls for dignified working conditions as well as fair wages. * Direct action gets the goods * Don't mourn, organize! This expression is the familiar version of the "last words spoken" by Wobbly songwriter Joe Hill before his execution on a murder charge in Utah. In truth, the expression is part of a telegram sent to Bill Haywood, in which Joe wrote, "Goodbye, Bill, I die like a true blue rebel. Don't waste any time mourning. Organize!" It wasn't Joe's last telegram; he sent another in which he implored Haywood, "Could you arrange to have my body hauled to the state line to be buried? I don't want to be found dead in Utah." *

Dual unionism Dual unionism is the development of a union or political organization parallel to and within an existing labor union A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization ...

is the development of a union parallel to an existing labor union. The parallel dual union may exist for different tactical, philosophical, or strategic reasons. * Dump the Bosses Off your Backs! * A fair day's wage for a fair day's work The motto of the American Federation of Labor. * Get it through industrial organization ( Wobbly slogan) * Hammering from without According to Paul Brissenden, this expression is the Americanized version of the French syndicalist term ''la pression extérieure'', or ''external pressure'', which was seen by some as an alternative to ''boring from within'' * Instead of the conservative motto, "A fair day's wage for a fair day's work," we must inscribe on our banner the revolutionary watchword, "Abolition of the wage system." Response of the

to the AFL motto, from the IWW Preamble. * Kickin' ass for the working class... * Labor is entitled to all it creates * The longer the picket line, the shorter the strike * No Gods, No Masters was a slogan first used during the 1912 Lawrence Textile Strike. It was since adopted by early 20th century feminists and later anarchists and members of the

Occupy Movement The Occupy movement was an international populist Social movement, socio-political movement that expressed opposition to Social equality, social and economic inequality and to the perceived lack of real democracy around the world. It aimed primar ...

. * The only force that can break tyrannical rule is the one big union of all the workersMelvyn Dubofsky, We Shall Be All, A History of the Industrial Workers of the World, University of Illinois Press Abridged, 2000, page 90 (Wobbly slogan) * Organize the workers to control the use of their labor powerMelvyn Dubofsky, We Shall Be All, A History of the Industrial Workers of the World, University of Illinois Press Abridged, 2000, page 89-90 (Wobbly slogan) * Right to work (for less) * The secret of power is organization (Wobbly slogan) * Unions: the people who brought you weekends * A victory for one is a victory for all * Which side are you on? From the song of the same name by Florence Reece, written during the 1931 strike by coal miners in Harlan County, Kentucky. * Workers of the world, awaken! * Workers of the world, Unite! * Workers of the world, unite! You have nothing to lose but your chains! * Workingmen, Unite!

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Labor Slogans Lists of slogans Labour movement