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Two tweets by the union "Industrial Workers of the World" (from2020) reminding furries that they have a place in the worker movement: Fursuit makers can join the Textile and Leather Workers, artists can join the Printing and Publishing Workers.
I assume this would be for those freelancers doing commercial work, not those offering to sketch your fursona for US$50. What would a union do for the latter?
It depends, of course. Besides offering community, most unions offer advise and legal support if necessary.
That makes sense, yeah. I usually just think of them representing your interests to a company which doesn't make as much sense to me with individual one-off jobs. That's all I was confused about.
IWW is a different kind of union. You're thinking of trade unionism. IWW is more syndicalist, and typically is focused on building community to empower its members and other workers rather than negotiating directly with bosses. Where trade unions silo workers into separate unions based on the type of work, the IWW sees that as a way of fragmenting workers' power and making it easier for the bosses to play one group of workers against another - the IWW is built on a "One Big Union" idea that organizes ALL workers that are not part of the manager and boss classes.
That can look a lot of ways, like encouraging bottom-up direct action over top-down calls for strike organization. Or the "Wobbly Shop" model, where workers elect their own managers. The IWW has been known to assist with people forming worker-owned cooperatives, and does prison inmate organizing through IWOC (its "Incarcerated Worker's Organizing Committee").
What's the point of joining a Union when you don't have an employer to rip you off??
There's still good reasons to join a union! Most importantly, unions advocate for their industry in government, which will benefit everyone regardless. Many will also offer direct benefits such as special discounts, but that'll depend on each union. Mine, for example, offers a discount on AT&T phone plans and even a union credit card.