The Industrial Workers of the World was established in Chicago, in 1905, by members of the Federation of Miners and other groups opposed to what they saw as “class collaboration” by the American Federation of Labor (A.F.L.). The driving force behind the I.W.W. was William D. Haywood, the leader of the Western Federation of Miners, which had established a reputation for work stoppages in Colorado mines. Joining Haywood at the launch of the I.W.W., which he described as the “first continental congress of the working class,” were Eugene V. Debs of the Socialist Party and [employment](http://mariskamast.net:/smf/index.php?action=profile