(The origin of this piece has been lost)

The World Trade Organization is a "union" of the largest corporations and most powerful nations in the world that uses solidarity between the rich to crush workers' rights, social well-being and the environment. The WTO member nations use their enforcement power on "free trade" agreements by collectively withholding their resources to enforce their will on the entire planet and over every national government - thus creating the first undeniable global government in history. This corporate takeover is not a conspiracy at all, actually it's just the way that capitalism works. For the rich, it works - for the poor, it makes them work.

Since the WTO was created in 1995 it has made over 100 judgements, all of which have been anti-worker, anti-environment, pro-maximum profit. Among these include demolition of a law pushed through by activists in Massachusetts, USA barring trade with human-rights abuser Burma, a resolution in favor of Chiquita banana that resulted in over 200,000 lost jobs in Latin America, and many more. Make no mistake, every worker in the world has been or will be impacted by the WTO.

The movement against globalized capitalism around the world has become increasingly popular, determined and militant each year. The first widely known action was the uprising of the poor in Chiapas, Mexico in 1994 against the North American Free Trade Agreement, a pact between the rich of Mexico, Canada and the United States to bring down national borders for corporations while simultaneously reinforcing them for working people. Self-proclaimed Zapatistas declared revolution and took up arms against corporate domination. Then in 1995, the WTO came into existence as a global version of NAFTA. In combination with the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and other corporate run "free trade" organizations, the heartless goons of global capitalism have rocked the planet - leaving nearly half of the world's economies in depression. And each year, in 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, and now in 1999, militant nationwide and citywide strikes, occupations, and more have taken place all over the world to attempt to reclaim what has been lost to the corporate takeover of Earth.

Since 1995, militant actions have occurred in Germany, Mexico, Brazil, South Korea, Nigeria, Equador, Israel, England, Switzerland, Sweden, Australia, Canada, United States, and many other places. Unfortunately, there has been nothing concrete that has connected all of these actions into a unit capable of changing things on a global scale.

The IWW is a global union that is one of many groups calling for N30 (see two paragraphs down). It is organized in such a way that if a majority of the world's workers were organized into it, we could use our solidarity to globally withhold our resources (our labor) from the rich - which would bring them to their knees more quickly than they would like to think. Then we could start calling the shots ourselves, and living our lives for us, rather than for the bosses of the world.

It is true that there are many roads to a truly free society. But before we can embark on them, a movement that will radicalize average working people - those who make this society run - must be built. Here is your chance to build on what has already been started in that direction.

The International Day of Action on November 30, 1999 also known as N30, will take place in cities all over the world to shut down the WTO. Strikes, walkouts, pickets, occupations and more are currently being planned in cities all over this nation and the entire planet. N30 has been called for by the IWW, People's Global Action (founded by the Zapatistas) and many other groups who are organizing against the WTO 3rd Ministerial Conference in Seattle, USA in November.

While actions are happening around the world, Seattle will undoubtedly be the epicenter of action against WTO. Right now, workers across the city of Seattle are organizing and agitating for a city-wide walkout on N30 to meet downtown for a huge rally at the Kingdome, a mass march, direct actions, and civil disobedience. No less than 100,000 are expected. In addition, hundreds of people are planning on making it physically impossible for WTO Trade Ministers to meet by completely shutting down Seattle's downtown area early in the morning of N30.