I Dreamed I Saw Joe Hill Last Night Radical Suncatcher
I Dreamed I Saw Joe Hill Last Night, by Radical Poster Collective, 2024
Joe Hill was a member of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) - often referred to as the Wobblies - a trade activist, songwriter and cartoonist.
He wrote the songs: "Rebel Girl", "Casey Jones - the Union Scab" and "There is Power in a Union" - which were all published in The IWW's Little Red Songbook.
He was executed by the State of Utah in 1915, having been accused of a murder, which he denied.
The song "I Dreamed I Saw Joe Hill Last Night" was written in 1930 by Alfred Hayes, and has been recorded many times including versions by Paul Robeson and Joan Baez.
The IWW was formed in Chicago in 1905 and rapidly spread throughout the world. The IWW focuses on direct action, strikes and other industrial actions to achieve changes in conditions: shorter hours, better pay and conditions etc.
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Trade unions developed out of the need for workers across the world to stand together in the face of the power and wealth of the ruling class.
Modern trade unions started to take shape alongside the development of capitalism and the industrial revolution with the objective of protecting and improving pay and conditions. Some early trade unions also sought to create an alternative cooperative or communal society. In response Governments sought to suppress them both legally and physically, which often led to underground organisations with secret memberships.
Most early trade unions were solely concerned with protecting their own members and the exclusion of non-members from their trades. Over time, towards the middle of the 19th Century a new trade unionism developed which sought to develop mass movements capable of shifting the balance of power.
By the early years of the 20th Century, the trade union movement was significant enough to threaten to be an alternative centre of power in many European countries and allied to social democratic parties (focusing on establishing a presence in parliament), communist parties or anarchist organisations.
Trade unions played a significant part in both the Russian Revolution and the Spanish Revolution and Civil War.
Since the Second World War, trade union membership and correspondingly radicalism has declined. The focus of the “official” trade union movement has been more on negotiation with management, individual case work, and selling “cheap” insurance on behalf of multinational companies to their members.
Radical trade unions still exist and the Radical Poster Collective supports those.
If you are not already in a union we strongly advise you to join one (we recommend a union that is a member of the International Workers’ Association such as the Industrial Workers of the World); and if you are in a union we advise you to get active within that union.
We support workers in struggle whatever form it takes.
We advocate for a General Strike on principle.
The Radical Poster Collective is dedicated to making good quality classic radical posters available at an affordable price.
Our designs are either digitally cleaned up to remove tears or stains etc, or completely recreated to be as close as possible to the original.
Our Radical Suncatchers are made of clear plastic, printed with increased colour intensity to create vibrant colours as daylight shines through.
The suncatchers are A5 size (approximately 148mm by 210mm), with a 10mm clear strip across the top.
The suncatcher comes with a plastic sucker to fix it to the window, leaving no residue if you decide to move it.
All of our suncatcher designs are also available as A3 posters.
Please note that there may be some variation in the colour of the on-screen image and the actual item received.
This is subject to the brightness and contrast of your screen settings etc.
All suncatchers are dispatched securely wrapped in tissue, in cardboard boxes to protect them.
For non-UK orders, any customs duties are to be paid by the buyer.
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