Skip to main content

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


IFAWA - Dues Reciepts

License Plate from an IFAWA-CIO Fishing Boat

1940 Alaska Fishermen's Union Membership Book - Affiliated with C.I.O. & 1940 Fishing License (these amazingly survived a fire at some point)
.

UFAWU Auxilary Cookbook. Probably mid 1960's.


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

International Longshoremen's & Warehousemen's Union - C.I.O. Local Union list

This is a working list that is continually being expanded and cross referenced as I work through archival material. You will notice I pose questions next to some of the locals or include various notes. If you use this list as a reference please know it may not be 100% accurate. This is a continuation of my project to map the Congress of Industrial Organizations. You will notice several different charters with the same local number. The International reused local numbers as they amalgamated or ceased to exist. Making this research a tad bit more difficult. ILWU Local 1 - RAYMOND, WA (longshore) *** chartered ’37  ILWU Local 2 - SAN FRANCISCO, CA (shipscalers) *** chartered ’37 ILWU Local 3 - STOCKTON, CA, (Barge / Power Boat)  *** chartered ’37 in 1950 Local 3 becomes catch all for the International Fisherman & Allied Workers after they are expelled from the CIO. Below is a list of locals that became Local 3 in 1950. I believe these numbers correspond w...
Post a Comment
Read more

United Cannery, Agricultural, Packing & Allied Workers of America C.I.O. - 1938 Membership Book

"Being fully aware that the conflict between capital and labor grows with intensity from time to time and tends to work disastrous results on the working millions unless we combine for mutual protection and benefit, and realizing fully that the struggle to better our working and living conditions is in vain unless we are united to protect ourselves against the organized forces of the employers and exploiters of labor, and Knowing full well that the old craft and isolated local forms of trade union organizations are unable to defend effectively the interests and improve the conditions of the workers, THEREFORE, WE, THE WORKERS ENGAGED IN THE CANNING, AGRICULTURAL, PACKING AND ALLIED INDUSTRIES form an organization which unites all workers in our industry on an industrial and democratic basis, regardless of age, sex, nationality, race, creed, color or political and religious beliefs, and pursues at all times a policy of aggressive activity to improve our social and economic c...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Point Gorda Strike - Marine Workers Industrial Union Pamphlet

This pamphlet is fascinating, but perhaps the real gems here are the preamble to the MWIU and the list of headquarters on the back page. MWIU were a militant communist organization. They were the marine section of the Trade Union Unity League who were directly affiliated with the Red International of Labor Unions (RILU). In the early 1920's the communist international's strategy was to form "red" communist run unions instead of trying to enter and radicalize existing AFL unions.  In the United States, MWIU set to work building a militant industrial union for waterfront workers. Most of their activity was in New York. They advocated industrial unionism exclusively and laid the foundation for the major surge in organizing in the mid 1930's with the formation of the Committee for Industrial Organizations. Most of the TUUL sections would transition into CIO unions. The MWIU helped establish the National Maritime Union (CIO), Likewise, the Cannery & Agricultur...
Post a Comment
Read more