Voice of action. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1933-1936, 1934-10-26


such was the background that
caused the formation of the CO.
operative by the Alaska Trollers.
II the Alta, with its cooperative
marketing plan. refuses to reeog.
nize or ignores the class struggle.
II they think that by steering
middle course" they can sue
eesssfully compete with capital
ism. IL they think that the Fish
Trust will not plant their agents
to crush militant struggles. IL
they really advocate what they
say, that strikes are useless for
the Instrumentation such a COOP
erative IL doomed for destruc-
ton because of its reactionary
policies.
Reactionary Policies
A brief mention of the previ-
Gus fishermens cooperatives will
prove what reactionary policies
in coOperatives have resulted in.
The Union Fishermen's Cooper
alive Packing Co., was organized
about 80 years ago by the Column
bia River Fishermen. and gradu-
ally went into the hands Of the
fish trust.
During the 1888 strike this So
called cooperative was the great
est bulwark against the fisher
men and the last cannery to con-
cede to the workers demands. A
cooperative cannery was formed
in Warrenton, Ore, and when the
first carload of salmon arrived
on the New York market it was
completely sabotaged by the
salmon brokers, thus forcing the
leasing of the eannery to a pri-
vate company.
The Fishermen's Packing Cor
poration of Everett, another So
called cooperative, under the
leadership of Mr.. Morris and Lee
Mackovich, has become a defln-
lite strike-breaking institution.
The Pacific American Fisheries,
the Bellingham Canning Co., and
other members of the Association
of Pacific Fisheries are using the
Everett cooperative to break
strikes and get their fish for al
most nothing by spreading pro-
paganda that the cooperative
is in the red and can't pay higher
prices"
We are not against cooperat-
ives IL they are organized on the
basis of class struggle. This
means that cooperative organ
lied on a class struggle basis
explains to the workers that a
cooperative movement is not q
way out of capitalist crisis and
exploitation, but seeks to or
ganize the workers or farmers on
the basis of their every day de-
and recognizes the fact
that in order to get rid of ex-
ploitation, capitalism must be
overthrow, and both economic
and political power taken by the
workers and farmers.
Unity Most Important
The most important and Inn
task facing the fisher
men and cannery workers of
Alaska is the formation of a mil
liant rank and file united front
to fight for their demands. The
proposed all-Alaska convention
must become a reality.
Members of all fishermen's Or
CARNATIONS in Alaska must see
that their Unions give this con-
vention their utmost support.
The small busiess men must be
asked to support the fight for
the abolition Of the traps, and
against the encroachment of the
fish trust.
The task of the Alaska fisher
men is not to isolate themselves
from the rest of the fishermen
outside of Alaska and the work
ers in other industries. Only by
forming a strong united front
of the fishermen throughout the
entire Pacific Coast will we be
able to isolate packers agents
such as Suoja, Freeman, Macko-
vich and others, thus forming q
real unity in action for the
struggles for our every day de-
mands.