The WIIU organizes industrially rather than by trade. This means that it does not matter if you do a different job than your co-workers; as long as you work together in the same industry, you all can unite and organize as a part of the WIIU.

The WIIU's Industrial Unions are grouped together into six Industrial Departments. Our goal is to organize all industries into One Great Union. The lines marking off these industries are not meant as barriers, but rather as parts of a single body. The organization of these departments in this way began with our origins in the Industrial Workers of the World and the graphical "wheel" created by Father Thomas Haggerty, and later updated by William Trautmann. 

For effective solidarity, it is necessary that working people are able to plan jointly with their brothers and sisters either in their own industries or to whom they furnish materials. Only with the sort of industrial unionism that adds up to One Great Union is this flexibility possible.

It is possible for a member of the WIIU to be in more than one such union simultaneously. Members may be transferred from one industrial union to another freely at their request by an officer of the WIIU.

Note: Even if there isn't a corresponding link for your Industrial Union, there may still be a functioning Local Industrial Union, Workplace Committee, Workplace Unit or Organizing Committee. Please see our list of Industrial Councils for more information.

A Union designation is composed of the Industrial Department Classification, Industrial Union Classification and number of charter received by the Local Industrial Union. For example, the first Local Industrial Union among railroad workers would be T2001. Workplace Units would use the designation of the Local Industrial Union; if a Workplace Unit evolves into a Local Industrial Union, it will retain its designation.