§

e The founding meeting of the International Woodworkers of America was held in Tacoma, Washington in July of 1937. Seated at center stage (actually a boxing
ring without the ropes) was Harold Pritchett, dressed in white shoes. He became the first Canadian to hold the Presidency of an International Union.

History of the L.W.A.

Continued from page nine

withdrew their agreement on camp commit-
tees, launched an expensive newspaper ad
campaign, and waited. Loggers began to drift
back to work. On May 8th, 1934, the strike
committee issued bulletin 80: “...We realized
that an organized return to work would be
preferable to hanging on while camps filled
up with scabs leaving a large number of
Union members outside holding the bag.”

Up to 2,500 loggers had been on strike for
96 days, supporting themselves and their fam-
ilies with about $20,000 donations from “tag
days,” which the operators tried to have
stopped. They had won a very substantial
wage increase. They had proved to them-
selves and to the world that they were great
organizers. Tents and kitchen gear for 500
men were sent to Campbell River one day af-
ter the strike was called. Over one hundred
bulletins had been printed on old gestetners,
and, much to the consternation of the employ-
ers, very widely distributed. They managed to
keep booze out of the picket camps for the
duration, no mean feat. They got a boat from
a sympathetic fisherman, and thus began the
long and honourable tradition of “The Log-
gers’ Navy.” Arne Johnson reported that as
they returned to work, “the men felt good
about the strike.” The union had permanently
established itself on the B.C. Coast, perma-
nently established confidence among the log-
gers in their ability to fight back. Perhaps
most important, they had developed a cadre
of dedicated, capable, trusted union leaders.

ne such was Emie Dalskog, a Swede-
Finn who had come to Canada in
1923, worked in hard rock and coal
mines. After a cave-in in a Nanaimo
coal mine, Ernie told the manager “...If 1 want
to get killed, I can do that in the woods, in the
fresh air,” quit, and went logging. He joined
the Swede-Finn club, in one of his trips to
Vancouver (between relief camp striking,
picketing at Fraser Mills and Union

steamships, being beaten up by Mounties,
etc.). He joined the Lumberworkers’ Union in
1932 “...Arne Johnson was secretary at the
time...dues were 5 cents a month...I borrowed
a typewriter from Ame and translated a book
by Scott Nearing and posted it on the bulletin
board...”

He joined the Communist Party in 1933, and
was sent by the club to Marxist school in Van-
couver, in January of 1934, to be taught by
“Old Bill” Bennett. “We get to school and Bill
tells us the strike is on...No use you listening
to me talk about Marxism...You guys will have
to go out there and get involved...this ends the
school.”

Union secretary-treasurer Arne Johnson
told Dalskog to apply for a job at Internation-
al Timber Co, near Campbell River, because
“we need union guys up there,” but by the
time he got there, the camp was already out.
So Ernie, along with Al Parkin, who was to be
editor of the Lumberworker spent the rest of
the strike on the “Logger’s Navy,” pulling
camps, collecting donations for the strike, or-
ganizing the picket camp at Campbell River.”

Emie was to serve the union as President
of Local 71, District Officer, and finally, as
B.C. District President in the post-war period.

MEANWHILE, OVER IN EUROPE

How does what happened in Europe fit into
a history of Canadian forest industry unions?
That is exactly what thousands of loggers be-
gan to ask themselves in 1935.

In earlier parts, we described the general
attitude of the Lumber Workers’ Industrial
Union. They were affiliated to the “Workers’
Unity League,” and through it to the “Red In-
ternational Of Labour Unions,” dedicated to
militant, revolutionary labour action. Strikes
had to succeed to win over the workers, but
their fundamental purpose was, through
struggle, to enlist workers in the far larger
cause of defeating capitalism. A.F. of L.
unions were denounced as “class collabora-
tors,” weak and ineffective. And they certain-
ly had not displayed any particular ability or
interest as regards to lumberworkers. Also

denounced were social democratic parties
like Canada’s Cooperative Commonwealth
Federation, colourfully described by the com-
munists as “the social fascists.” Since they
threatened C.P. leadership of working class
organization, they were regarded as the
“biggest enemy.”

But events in Germany changed their
minds. Hitler’s “National Socialist” (fascist)
Party had taken power in 1933. Fascism was
the immediate and overwhelming threat.
Communists would therefore have to work
with social democrats, liberals, reformers, to
defeat that overwhelming menace. Where rev-
olutionary unions had not gained control of
national labour movements, as in the U.S. and
Canada, the revolutionary unions that had
been forged would have to disband both their
militant central, the Workers’ Unity league,
and their unions and join the leading re-
formist (A.F. of L.) unions.

These were intensely conservative labour
organizations, organized on a “Craft” basis.
That is, skilled workers would join the union
that represented workers of the same trade,
regardless of employer or place of employ-
ment. At that time, these unions had little in-
terest in unskilled workers, and no interest at
all in forming unions on an “industrial” basis,
that is, where all workers, skilled and un-
skilled, joined the union representing workers
in their industry.

Thus in April of 1936, following a member-
ship ballot, the lumberworkers across Canada
decided to fold and join the United Brother-
hood of Carpenters and Joiners subsidiary,
the “Lumber and Sawmill Workers.” Soon af-
ter, the various B.C. locals that had been cre-
ated formed a “District Council,” with Harold
Pritchett as President.

Harold had gone to work at age fifteen at
Flavelle sawmill in Port Moody. It was 1919,
the beginning of the period of explosive
growth for B.C. unions. He tried to join the
“Wobblies” but “they kicked me out, said I
was too young.” He joined the Shingle
weavers (A.F. of L.) in 1925, while working at

Continued on next page

14/LUMBERWORKER/MARCH, 1996