Tom Wetzel

Tom Wetzel

Against Productivism

Capitalist society has a dynamic tendency towards constant technological change — change in products, methods of production, and in the ways workers are managed in the production process. I am going to suggest that capitalism has a very distinctive way…

Socialize the Railways!

By Tom Wetzel The downward slide of the major (Class 1) American freight railroads in recent years shows how capitalist ownership of the railway system is dangerous and inefficient — and fails to make use of the potential of the…

The Case for Building New Unions

By Tom Wetzel The British writer R. H. Tawney once described capitalist management of the workplace as “autocracy checked by insurgency.” And, indeed, a kind of insurgency takes place when workers band together to form unions. Worker unions are a…

Review of Jason Hickel, Less Is More

By Tom Wetzel Jason Hickel is apparently one of the most popular of the “degrowthers” in Europe. He is a good speaker and can give a smooth, fact-filled presentation. But his book Less is More is very frustrating. Like a…

What is Green Syndicalism?

Green Syndicalism combines syndicalism with eco-anarchism: Green Syndicalism is based on the recognition that workers — and direct worker and community alliances — can be a force against the environmentally destructive actions of capitalist firms. The goal of Green Syndicalism…