Voice of action. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1933-1936, 1935-03-15

attacks upon our living stan
the fish packers by the eStat
and prices for our fish despite
rising living costs. Other thous-
ands of fishermen are faced with
unemployment as the curtail-
ment program of the New Deal
under tn guise of fish cOnserv-
alton and in other forms is in
troduced-a program intended to
guarantee the profits of the fish
trust at our expense.
Initiatives 8 and II
The curtailment program which
is a program for mOnOpOlizatiOn
of the fishing industry into the
hands of the rich packers takes
place in the form of closing GER
tain areas to fishing in the name
of conservation, and in the form
of legislative measures to do
away with the small fishermen
altogether. Especially plain is the
viciOusness of this legislation in
the state of Washington where
already the gill net fishermen
sees his rights taken away by
discriminatory features trickily
included in Initiative Measure
II for which the majority of us
fisheamen voted, thinking that
it would do away with the traps,
but finding today that packers
are planning to take advantage
of the injunction order to retain
their trails.
Still more vicious is Initiative
Measure 5, which will do away
with all purse seining in the wat
ers of the state of Washington, if
enacted-leaving a clear field for
the traps of the fish trust. AL
ready in effect are nonresident
tial laws in the states of Oregon
and Washington, and the same
sort of legislation is being in
troduced in the state of Calf
Ornia, in order to split our ranks
and deprive us of our fishing
rights.
Led Struggles
The Fishermen and Cannery
Workers Industrial Union has
led numerous successful strug-
giles for the immediate demands
of the workers in the fishing in
dustry, such as the strike of troll
ers of the FCWIU jointly with
members of the PCFU at Fort
Bragg last year, the strike of the
purse seine fleet at AnacOrtes
last season against the most dras-
tic cut in history and various
other struggles. 1t has cOnsisten-
ly carried on the struggle for the
united front of all fishermen and
workers in the fishing industry
regardless of race, creed age, sex,
political opinion, or organization
al affiliations, despite the sabo-
tage against the united front by
the reactiOnary leadership of the
AFL.
In view of this extremely criti-
cal situation in the fishing in
dustry, the need for unificatiOn
of the many fishermen's organiza-
tions becomes especially impera-
tive. The Fishermen and Can
merry Workers Industrial Union
realizes the need of trade union
unity, therefore, this is one of
the most important matters on
the agenda of the Second Nation
al Convention.
Elect Delegates
Therefore, to achieve this, the
Fishermen and Cannery Work
ers' Industrial Union appeals to
all unions in the fishing industry
to elect from your ranks dele
gates to participate in this Con-
vention. The convention shall
consist of:
First-Delegates from locals of
the Fishermen and Cannery
Workers Industrial Union, rep
resenting one delegate to every
25 members or fraction thereof.
Second-AFL and other fisher
mems unions are invited to send
fraternal delegates to discuss
proposals for united action for
the immediate demands of the
fishermen on the questions of
prices, conditions, ETC., and build
ing toward one big union for the
industry. Fraternal delegates will
have a voice but no vote in re-
gard to business of the conven-
ton.
All debates or locals will have
to be responsible for transport
alton and for a registration fee
of so cents to help defray expens-
es of the convention. Arrange
ments for sleeping quarters and
food will be made by the commit
tee in charge for a small cost.
(Send all communications to
p. Dale, National Secretary, Fish