The International Fishermen and Allied Workers of America (IFAWA) was a

labor union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...

representing workers in the fishing industry in the United States. The union originated as the Federated Fishermen's Council, founded in 1936 by members of the

International Seamen's Union The International Seamen's Union (ISU) was an American maritime trade union which operated from 1892 until 1937. In its last few years, the union effectively split into the National Maritime Union and Seafarer's International Union. The early yea ...

, which was collapsing. In 1939, this was refounded as the IUFAW, and was chartered by the

Congress of Industrial Organizations The Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) was a federation of unions that organized workers in industrial unions in the United States and Canada from 1935 to 1955. Originally created in 1935 as a committee within the American Federation of ...

(CIO). The former affiliates of the council retained their separate structures, with the new union's four main affiliates being the Alaska Fishermen's Union, Columbia River Fishermen's Protective Union, Copper River and Prince William Sound Fishermen's Union, and the United Fishermen's Union of the Pacific. The union was led by president Joe Jurich, vice president George Hecker, and secretary-treasurer Martin Olsen.{{cite web , last1=Baunach , first1=Leo , title=The International Fishermen and Allied Workers of America: Organizing Precarious Workers in the CIO Era , url=https://depts.washington.edu/dock/IFAWA_pt1.shtml , website=Waterfront Workers History Project , publisher=University of Washington , access-date=31 July 2022 In 1950, the union was expelled from the CIO, which objected to the leading role in the union played by communists. Shortly after, it merged into the

Food, Tobacco, Agricultural, and Allied Workers The United Cannery, Agricultural, Packing, and Allied Workers of America union (UCAPAWA) changed its name to Food, Tobacco, Agricultural, and Allied Workers (FTA) in 1944. History The FTA sought to further organize cannery units and realized the ...

References

Seafarers' trade unions Trade unions established in 1939 Trade unions disestablished in 1950