International Fisherman & Allied Workers of America

International Fisherman & Allied Workers of America - CIO (1939-1950)

The IFAWA has a very complicated history. I wanted to share some of my collection with you as I continue to map the CIO's radical existence over the course of 20 short years. For a well done history of the United Fisherman's Union - CIO & The International Fisherman & Allied Workers of America - CIO... visit this link here to the Waterfront Workers History Project at the University of Washington.

Between 1948 and 1950, the CIO expelled 11 unions who refused to remove their communists and radicals from leadership. The last 3 were all West Coast Maritime unions. The IFAWA was one of them. Having already pushed the idea of affiliating with the ILWU to their membership, the merger was almost immediate after expulsion. By my count the IFAWA existed as it's own union from 1939 till 1950. The United Fisherman's Union was the CIO's first foray into the fishing industry and existed from 1937-1939, largely still as a craft union, but set the stage for a large coast wide industrial organization the International Fisherman & Allied Workers of America. Below is a chart showing the unions structure. The bulk of it's membership comprised of the amalgamation of 4 unions.

1. Alaksa Fisherman's Union
2. United Fisherman's Union of the Pacific
3. Columbia River Fishermen's Protective Union
4. Copper River & Prince William Sound Fishermen's Union

Here are some pins from my collection:

ILWU Local 3 was in fact a series of IFAWA locals that folded into the ILWU for survival shortly after both unions were expelled from the CIO in 1950.

Here is a list of IFAWA locals that were chartered with the ILWU as Local 3 in 1950, still working on verifying all of this.

1 - Mt. Vernon, WA (cannery)

2 - Blaine, WA (cannery)

4 - Columbia River (fish / cannery)

4 - Puget Sound (reefnetters)

6 - Bellingham, WA (cannery)

7 - Alaska (fish/ saltery)

8 - Cordova, AK (fisheries)

9 - Alaska Fisherman’s Union

17 - Anacortes, WA (cannery)

23 - Washington area (trollers)

25 - Aberdeen& Westport, WA (fish)

27 - Alaska (fish reduction)

28 - Bandon, OR (gilnetters)

28 - South East Alaska (purse seiners)

29 - South East Alaska (purse seiners) ***** two locals?

30 - Ketchikan, AK (purse seiners / salmon / herring)

31 - Aberdeen, WA (trollers)

32 - Aberdeen, WA (gilnetters)

33 - San Pedro, CA (purse seiners / fish)

34 - San Francisco, CA (crab / dragger / purse seiner)

35 - Pittsburg, CA (fish / gillnetters)

36 - Northern California (fish)

37 - Seattle, WA (fish)

38 - Eureka, CA (fish / cannery)

39 - Crescent City, CA (fish / crab)

40 - Ft. Bragg, CA (fish / cannery)

42 - Coos Bay, OR (fish / seafood)

43 - Martinez, CA (fish)

44 - Bellingham, WA (reefnetters)

46 - Bristol Bay, AK (cannery)

51 - Deer Harbor, WA (cannery)

52 - Bodega Bay, CA (fish)

53 - Puget Sound (otter trawlers)

59 - Westport, WA (cannery)

61 - Newport, OR (crab)

62 - North Bend, OR (crab)

64 - Metlakatla, AK (fish / cannery)

66 - Metlakatla, AK (fish)

69 - Grays Harbor, WA (cannery)

69 - Ketchikan, AK (shellfish / cannery)

70 - Westport, WA (crab)

71 - Warrenton, OR (crab)

72 - Kelalach?????? (smelt) ********* no place with this name found. Kalaloch, WA exists but is just a river & small campground

74 - Half Moon Bay, CA (fish)

75 - Martinez, CA (gillnetters)

76 - Puget Sound (gillnetters)

Columbia River Fishermen's Protective Union 1940 Pin. The CRFPU became an allied division of IFAWA in 1939.

United Fisherman's Union pin from 1938. UFU-CIO only lasted from 1937-1939.

UFAWU was the British Columbian equivalent of the IFAWA. Although this pin is much later than the eras I normally post and collect, many of these organizations still exist in some capacity and still bargain today as guilds. The inability of the UFAWA & IFAWU to affiliate directly as an international union ultimately hurt the industry and both unions.

Alaska Fisherman's Union pins these are also a little bit later. But there is history here deeply tied to the IFAWA's fate.

1949 IFAWA Local 3 Membership Book w/ Preamble