The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) was founded in Chicago, Illinois in 1905. It is an international general labor union with current and historical ties to socialist and anarchist revolutionary labor movements.
The IWW and its members were well-known for fervent organizing and protest. They were involved in over 150 strikes, and fought to preserve the right to organize and speak openly.
Though still operational, many factors such as the Red Scare, disagreements with more conservative unions such as the AFL, and growing schisms in the 1920s among IWW chapters due to internal political division led to the IWW's loss of major influence.