Industrial Workers of the World

The Industrial Workers of the World is identified in the book as a radical labor union, and its presence is shown through a brief episode in Dorothy Day’s early life. The account links the organization to a rooming house and a police raid, but does not describe its broader structure or activities in detail.

Identity and Setting

The book describes the Industrial Workers of the World as a radical labor union. Its members used a rooming house in Chicago, which Day visited while trying to help a suicidal woman. The account does not establish that Day belonged to the union; it presents her as a visitor to the house.

The Raid and Arrest

While Day was at the rooming house, police raided the premises. Day and the woman she had come to see were arrested and charged with prostitution. The charges were later dropped after Day and other demonstrators had spent several days in jail.

Narrative Role

The episode places the Industrial Workers of the World in the setting of Day’s encounters with labor activism, policing, and hardship. The union itself is not the focus of the episode: the narrative follows Day’s arrest and the distressing conditions of confinement, then moves on without detailing the organization’s response or its role in the raid.