Page Six
THE FISHERMAN
Friday, November 7, 1947
VICTORIA, B.C.
Ship Chandlers
(McQuade's) Ltd.
Ent. 1858 1214 WHARF STREET VICTORIA, B.C. See us for a fall line of Rope*, Anchors, Chains and Fishermen's Supplies.
IT WON'T BE LONG ORDER NOW
Personal Christmas Cards
Magazine Gift Subscriptions
RONNIE'S
AT YOUR SERVICE ALERT BAY
Peterson & Edward Hardware
ALERT BAY, B.C. DRY GOODS SHOES Valvoline Marine Paiats Ships Chandlers Radio Technicians *
W. B. "DICK" PATTINSON
YOU HAVE THE FLOOR
History of B.C. Fishery Unions Elaborated
NORTH STAR BOTTLING WORKS
PRINCE RUPERT, B.C. Phone 132 Bex 8T7
McAllister and Warnes
General Food Merchants ALERT BAY, B.C.
Supplying the Fishing Fleet with Grade A Meats, Groceries, Fresh Vegetables and Fruit.
Gus Cogswell
Yuclataw Traders
Stuart Island, B.C.
Fishbuyers, Store, All Supplies, Oil Station, Postoffioe and Telegraph
THULIN TRADING
CO LTD- (Red & White)
A complete stock for every need of the Fisherman. Fish Buying Camp — Imperial Oil Products.
i LUND, B. C.
► ► ► ► ► ►
JAS. B. GRAHAM
I Duncanby Landing j Rivers Inlet
FJiSH BUYING CAMP GENERAL STORE v. ;
£ Standard Oil Products
By ELGIN "SCOTTY" NEISH I was under the delusion that you would have received several letters regarding Doug Clark's recent article "Unions In Industry To 1939," and I was sort of holding back my comments as I figured there would be a follow up article by Doug Clark covering the last paragraph of the said article. But I see by the last issue that he has started on another subject from what I would consider to be the wrong angle, so I feel somebody should try to clarify the past history of trade unions in the flsfc-ing industry.
One of the main reasons I am writing this letter is due to the fact (as H. Allison mentioned in his letter) that the United Fishermen and Allied Workers Union has the question under consideration in regard to having a pamphlet printed describing the growth and battles which have taken place by the unions in the fishing i n d us-try, and I feel that if the article written by Doug Clark is not criticized it might find its way into the pamphlet as is.
In this letter I will deal strictly with the growth of our union and not the battles, strikes, and hardships that were experienced by the members and officers of the various organizations that became part and parcel of the UFAWU we have today. I also feel fhat it is of the utmost importance that we should have a correct picture or history of the growth of both trade unions and cooperatives in the B.C. fishing industry, and as I am writing this from memory with the aid of back copies of The Fisherman, I would appreciate any person writing either to The Fisherman or myself to correct anything in the letter or to fill in any of the gaps.
One point that should not be taken too lightly and that is that every amalgamation that ever took r>lace in the trade unions of the fishing industry was omy accomplished after a tremendous expenditure of energy by the members of both groups concerned in the amalgamation and in most cases only took place after a great deal of ground work and education had been done by the officers and members of both groups, amounting in certain instances to years of debate on the floor of meetings and conventions.
Western Fishing
Co., Ltd.
Wholesale Fish Dealers! and Curers
Exporters of Sea Produots N.H.B. Fish Dock
VANCOUVER, B.C.
WE BUY ALL KINDS OF FRESH FISH
A. C. Benson Shipyard Ltd.
2 Marine Ways — General Repairs — Boats of Every Description Built to Order 1705 W. Georgia St. MA. 2843
It Didn't Just Happen
I disagree entirely with the impression given by Doug Clark in his article that all this "just happened." This is the impression I got when I read the article and I would like to correct this if any person has such an idea. What happened prior to the forming of the Fishermen and Cannery Workers Industrial Union "just happened," but I want to make this point clear here and now that from that time forward every move taken was towards the forming of one big union in the fishing industry. Although at times the trail was muddy from back-tracking and milling around, organizing the unorganized continued.
I don't ask you to accept my word for this but just refer you to the back copies of The Flsher-erman where you can read the statements of such oldtimers in the industry as Percy Sabin, Marion Ruljanovich, Gus Cogswell, Jack Gavin, Bruno Kaario, Vic Hill, George Miller, Ole Martin, Mark Galway, Dan Martin, Johnny Donaldson, Charlie Valley, Tony Fial, Dan Cordonl, Sr., Alex Eyton, Bob Wulff and a whole host of others who had a great deal to do with the carrying through and consolidating of the position of our union as it stands today.
My story of unions in the fishing industry begins with the forming of the Fishermen and Cannery Workers Industrial Union. This was the first union in the industry to put a paid organizer in the field on a union boat and I measure the growth of trade unionism in the fishing industry from this time.
When the union went into the field to organize an industrial union to cover every phase of the industry in 1931, it came face to face with what, at that time, was an insurmountable obstacle.
That was the gear fight between the small boats and the larger boats, namely the seiners, on the one hand, and the trollers and gilinetters on the other.
After several years of organizational work in the field it became apparent to those members within the union who were taking part in this organizational campaign that the whole organisational work ot the union was being held back by this objection by the men who worked these different types of gear to joining a union which included both types of gear within its jurisdiction.
So it was decided that these men could not be organized or assimilated into the one union without considerable education and ground work being done within the ranks of the men concerned. To do
this it was decided to have two unions covering these types of gear and these unions in turn would work together to fight a common battle for better prices, working conditions etc.
When the decision was finally made it was found that they had representation of both groups of fishermen but little or no headway had been made towards organizing the shoreworkers section of the industry, so it was decided to drop that category for the time being and concentrate on the fishermen.
The Seiners took their membership into the Salmon Purse Seiners Union of the Pacific with headquarters in Seattle. The Gilinetters and Trollers formed the Pacific Coast Fishermen's Union and became affiliated with the Seafarers' International which also had its heaquarters below the line. There was considerable discussion as to the advisability of organizing even these two categories under one charter as there was consid-siderable dissension between these two types of gear at that time (1934-35).
But it soon became apparent that the Gilinetters and Trollers had reached the point in their development Where they could unite and form one union as was proven by the rapid growth of the PCFU when compared with other unions in the field at that time.
It was about this time that the PCFU and the SPSU of the Pacific started out with their first edition of The Fisherman. In i:s infancy it was a mimeographed paper coming out once a week, but it soon became apparent it was wanted and needed, and it became a printed paper with the June 6 issue, 1938. The Fisherman soon became (and still is) the main driving force towards educating, consolidating and organizing the fishermen and shoreworkers into one union.
JOHN DONALDSON Oldtimer in Fishing.
Specializing in Marine and General Sheet Metal Work Electric and Acetylene Welding — Air Conditioning and On Burner Installations — Boat Tanks — Stacks Ventilators — Mufflers
THOM SHEET METAL LIMITED
Eric Speers. Manager 225 East First Cow Bay Prince Rupert, B.C.
Ramsay Machine Works Ltd.
Machinists — Engineers — Founders — Patternmakers MARINE REPAIRS Phone G SSI 4 - 1P30 Store St. - Victoria. B.C.
Wh,
znever the
i
! i
Personal Lean*
... with repayment by convenient instalments available at all branches. Endorsers not necessarily required and the cost is negligible.
Current Accounts
No need to carry large sums of cash in your pocket. Paying by cheque saves time and bother. Your cancelled cheques are permanent records of bills paid.
Here are two banking services that everyone needs at one time or another. There are many more ways in which the Royal Bank can serve you, briefly described in our "catalogue of Banking Services" available at alt branches. Ask for a copy.
THE ROYAL BANK OF CANADA
Affiliations
At about that time the feeling in the SPSU and the PCFU was towards the dropping of the affiliation below the line and becoming part of the Trades and Labor Congress of Canada wUh which all the B.C. unions t'nat had any ties were affiliated.
So with this in mind the Salmon Purse Seiners Union of the Pacific took out a charter from the Trades Congress in August, 1938 as the Salmon Purse Seiners Union of B.C., Local 141, and the Pacific Coast Fishermen's Union which had dropped its affiliation with the Seamens' International Union remained a completely independent Union until its final amalgamation. In December 1938 the British Columbia Trollers Assor ciation amalgamated with the PCFU. That amalgamation was a double barrelled one because contrary to what Doug Clark states "the West Coast Trollers Association did not drift into the Kyu-quot Co-op" but amalgamated into the B.C. Trollers.
The Barclay Sound Gillnet Fishermen's Association, another group who had no charter but had one or two strikes behind it, amalgamated with the PCFU in December 1939. In 1940 the Salmon Purse Seiners Union handed in
its charter and amalgamated with the United Fishermen's Federal Union Local 44 of the Trades Congress.
These two unions prior to their amalgamations were actually dual organizations as both groups had members working with the same types of gear but on several occasions found themselves at odds when it came to taking strike action.
The British Columbia Fishermen's Protective Association with a Trades Congres charter consisted for the most part of fishermen-farmers from above the New Westminster Bridge, who were making themselves felt throughout the industry by signing agreements for areas such as Smiths and Rivers Inlets as well as the Skeena and Naas.
This group also was at odds with the PCFU when it came to strike action as both groups had membership in the Gillnet section of the industry. So that it was another milestone in trade union history when the BCFPA handed back its trades congress charter and amalgamated with the PCFU.
Shoreworkers Organize
In the year 1941 the shore-workers came back into the picture when the Fish Cannery Reduction Plant and Allied Workers Union Local 89 took out a Trade Congress charter. This was the first definite move to organize the shoreworkers since the Fishermen and Cannery Workers Industrial Union decided to reform itself.
The organiaztion of the shore-workers was helped considerably by the work done by the fishermen and their organizers. It was about the same time or maybe a year later that the PCFU amalgamated with the UFFU. Regardless of the year the amalgamation was one of the most significant steps taken in the industry to that date due to the fact that the PCFU, although it was only one union had during its time taken into its ranks five other unions so that when it joined the UFFU it brought seven unions into one.
The Japanese Fishermen's Protective Association was a Union of Japanese fishermen with a charter from the Trades and Labor Congress. When Japan declared war on the Allies the Jap-taken in the near future.
ORUGS
BODY BELTS
TRUSSES
FIRST AID SUPPLIES
DRUGGIST'S
Can Supply AU Your Medical Requirements BV MAIL
Write to
15. E Hastings — Vancouver
PAc 0322
PAc 6635
'Build B.C. Payroll?
Good
Health
And
Good
Meals
No kitchen should be without nourishing Pacific Milk. For healthy, tasty meals and for the babies formula, you'll find Irradiated Pacific Milk a real favorite. Irradiated means extra sunshine Vitamin D.
Pacific Milk
Irradiated and Vacuum Packed
anese fishermen were put in internment camps which brought a halt to this union's activities.
Birth of UFAWU
1945 saw the final weld made which brought all phases of the fishing industry into one union when local 89 of the Fish Cannery, Reduction plant and Allied Workers Union and the United Fishermen's Federal Union, Local 44, both handed in their charters to the Trades Congress and took in return a charter In the name of the United Fishermen and Allied Workers Union of B.C.
Thus the objective of the Fishermen and Cannery Workers Industrial Union has been accomplished after 17 years of struggle except we have an industrial union operating under a trade union charter.
There are two more steps to be taken before we have One Big Union in the fishing industry and that is namely the amalgamation of the Deepsea Fishermen's Union in Prince Rupert which is operating under a Trades Congress charter and a form of amalgamation with the Native Brotherhood of B.C. Both these steps will be
"CATERPILLAR" MARINE DIESEL
The above picture shows the "D 8800" 77 H.P. at 900 R.P.M.
A Wide Variety of Attachments is Available
Finning Tractor & Equpment Co. Limited
M0 STATION 5TMIT. VANCOUVfcR
Delivered Free
C. O. D.
Phone: PAcific 1384
1385 1386 1387
25c per dozen paid for empties
Please have them ready for the driver when he makes his deliveries
This advertisement is not published or displayed by the Liquor Control Board, or by the Government of British Columbia.