British Lotumbia Archival rntormation Network Display rage i or 1 Help Feedback Home BCAUL => Results => Item Display - British Columbia Archival Union List (BCAUL ) *Access the previous result entry "'Access the next result entry Provenance: United Fishermen and Allied Workers' Unio n United Fishermen's Federal Union Pacific Coast Fishermen's Union Fish, Cannery and Reduction Plant and Allied Workers Unio n Title: United Fishermen and Allied Workers' Union fond s Dates: 1934-1979 Physical desc.: 90 m of textual records 10 plan s Bio/Admin The United Fishermen and Allied Workers' Union was established in 1945 through the merge r History : of the United Fishermen's Federal Union and the Fish, Cannery and Reduction Plant an d Allied Workers Union . It survived strong competition from the B.C. Gillnetter's Association i n 1952 and the Seafarers' International Union in 1953. The UFAWU was suspended by the Trades and Labour Congress in 1953 for alleged communist activities . It was not until 1972 when the Union's application for affiliation with the Canadian Labour Congress was accepte d that its right to represent the majority of B.C. fishermen was recognized . The Union has strengthened the bargaining position of its members and it has undertaken to improve wage s and working conditions in the industry . Scope/Content : The fonds consists of minutes, correspondence, reports, legal documents, financial records , plans, sound recordings, published and printed material generated by the UFAWU, its local s and predecessor organizations including the United Fishermen's Federal Union, the Pacifi c Coast Fishermen's Union, and the Fish, Cannery and Reduction Plant and Allied Worker s Union, as well as office files from former Presidents William Rigby, Homer Stevens, and Jac k Nichols. Title source: Title based on the contents of the fonds . Finding aids : Inventory available . Repository : University of British Columbia Library Rare Books and Special Collection s Names: Rigby, William ; Stevens, Homer ; Nichols, Jack ; United Fishermen and Allied Workers' Unio n United Fishermen's Federal Union Pacific Coast Fishermen's Union Fish, Cannery and Reduction Plant and Allied Workers Unio n Email or download this Powered by Software copyright ©1998-2004 Cinemage Software LP . All rights CINE reserved. MAGE Content copyright © to individual content providers. All rights reserved. http://mayne.aabc.bc .ca/?proc=display&secs=MAYNE-7121-fj 09wD&item=UBCSP-595&sear= 3/19/04 II HISTORY OF THE COLLECTIO N The bulk of the collection, totalling approximately'34 linea r metres, was deposited on permanent loan with the City of Vancouve r Archives in 1974 . The materials were arranged and inventoried a s Add . Mss . 285, following the CVA numbering system . Two addenda , _were accessioned by the CVA in 1976 and identifed by it as ADD . Mss . 418 . — In July 1981 the UFAWU decided to donate the material to th e UBC Library, and it was finally transferred in 1982 .In addition to the UFAWA records, the records of the Fisherman Publishing Society , OVA'S Add . kiss . 423, were transferred. The Fisherman Publishin g Society's photograph collection is held in a separate location i n Special Collections Livision. In April 1982 an additional ca . 7 linear metres were transferred from the UFAW'J office . In accordanc e with the University's agreement with the Union, further records wil l be transferred to Special Collections from time to time in the future . III ORGANIZATION OF THE COLLECTIO N The original UFAWU collection, known as Add . Mss . 285 in the City of Vancouver Archives numbering system, was described as Finding Aid No . 34 . The collection was divided into records (which were designated Vol .l to Vol . 308) and published materials (designated Publ . 1 to Publ . 453) . In accordance with the wishes of the UFAWU, the published materials were not kept in a separate location . -- The collection also included boat plans, which are now file d in the Map Cabinet no .8, posters and graphs, now filed in Map Cabine t no .5 ; tapes of UFAWU conventions, now filed with the sound recording s collection ; photographs and oversize materials, now shelved followin g Publ . 453 ; and the transcripts of the Coady Commission hearings , now designated as Box 309, and shelved following Publ . 453 . Addendum no .1, consisting of records of the UPAWU and its predecesors , is now designated as Boxes 310-313 . It is described in the CVA Finding Aid no .108. Addendum no .2, consisting of membership cards, sick benefits records , and a scrapbook (1937-1949), is now designated as Box 314 . Addendum no . 3, consisting of record transferred from the UFAW U office in 1982, is designated as Boxes 315 onwards . Boxes no . 31 5 to 326 were arranged by James Bowman and a list was prepared o f material to be sorted in addendum no .3 . IV RESTRICTIONS When the UFAWU papers were transferred to UBC in 1982, the Universit y agreed to the following condition : "UBC agrees that the General Executive Board Minutes' wil b e -- restricted for twenty years and that during this period acces s will be granted only to researchers who provide written permissio n from the Presicent of the UFAWU or designate . On the expiry of the twenty year period, the minutes shallbe open to any qualifie d scholar engaged in serious research, according to the practice of th e Special Collections Division of the UBC Library ." V INTRODUCTION The earliest organization of fishermen in British Columbia occurred in 1893 and had its basis in the exclusion of Chinese from fishing th e Fraser River . This movement parallelled the wave of anti-Chinese feelin g prevalent in British Columbia during that period . However, by the early years of the twentieth century, the primary target of attack was th e strict control of prices and wages by the fish canning companies, notably Bit . Packers . The VancOuver fishermen, as well as their Japanese an d Native counterparts, formed their own associations to combat the companies , which, in turn resorted to scab labour and police action . Following a n unsuccessful strike in 19oo, several fishermen's lodges united to for m a Grand .6odge, centered in 14 ew Westminster . Even so, the strikes o f 19ol and 19o2 were firmly resisted by the companies . The position of the fishermen was seriously worsened in 19o2 when 43 canneries were amalgamated by the B .C . Packers Association . After this date , and for several decades, the strength of fishermen's unions diminishe d while that of their opponents increased . A 1913 strike, led by Japanese fishermen and shoreworkers for a short period . But it resulted in n o tangible gains . Thereafter, the main area of union activity shifted to th e Finnish community of Sointula on Malcolm Island, Since many of the inhabitants of this community were imbued with socialist and "utopian" ideals, the y added distinctive flavour to the movement . This flavour has been retaine d throughout its history . Still, the fishermen of British Columbia remaine d extremely divided . The Fraser River Fisherman's Protective Associatio n was formed in 1914 with the sole intention of exluding the Japanes e from the Pacific Coast fisheries . The Japanese and natives had their own organizations with restricted aims . The piecemeal and ineffectual n-ture of fishermen's unions was spotlighted by the failure of a strike attemp t in 1922 . As a result, the next decade saw m ny attempts to unite fisherme n into a strong body which could make its demands heard . In 1931, two unions were formed-- the United Fishermen's Federal 'Onion and the Fishermen' s Industrial U nion . The latter became the Fishermen and Cannery Worker s Industrial Union in 1933 . Successive strikes in 1932, 1935, and 1936 were marked by the strength of companies and the imotence of the unions . Thus it was that the Fishermen and Cannery Workers Union reorganize d into the Salmon Purse Seiners Union and the Pacific Coast Fishermen' s Union . Both groups adopted fairly militant tactics and jointly establishe d a newspaper in 1937 entitled "The Fisherman" as their organ . In addition , they continued attempts to unite the scattered unionsof fishermen, whic h now numbered in the dozens . The S .P .S .U. joined the United Fishermen' s Federal Union in 194o . They were followed in 1944 by the Fraser River group . Japanese fishermen were eliminated after the bombing of Pear l Harbour . Finally, in 1945, the United Fishermen and Allied Workers Unio n was born . It managed to faurvive anti-communist investigations known a s the McCarthy era . It faced strong competition from the B .C . Gillnetter' s Association in 1952 and the Seafarer's International Union in 1953 . In the same year, the U .F .A .W.U. was suspended by the Trades and Labour Congress for alleged communist activities . Not until 1972 was its a,plicatio n for affiliation with the Canadian Labour Congress accepted and its right to represent the majority of British Columbian fishermen recognized . VI Since its foundation, the U .F.A.W .U . has improved the bargaining positio n of fishermen significantly . In 1947, standard prices for sockeye salmo n were obtained, and they have been rising ever since . In 1949, a welfar e fund for fishermen came into being . The salmon tendermen achieved bette r prices and working conditions after their strike in 1954 . The shoreworker s have made important gains since 1946, However, for the Halibut, Herring , and Trawl fishermen, the gains have been smaller due to company oppositio n and their own internal divisions . At present, the primary aim of the U .F.A.W.U . is to obtain improved conditions and wages for those sector s of- the fishing community which have lagged behind the others .