Harold Pritchett

Last updated

Harold (Harry) Pritchett was a British-Canadian woodworker and the first president of the International Woodworkers of America (IWA). Often compared to Harry Bridges, Pritchett became the target of redbaiting and was forced to resign his position as international president of the IWA in 1940 after being denied re-entry into the United States due to his ties to the Communist Party.

Contents

Harold Pritchett
BornMay 9, 1904
Birmingham, England
Died1982
Port Coquitlam, British Columbia
NationalityCanadian
Organization International Woodworkers of America
TitleInternational President, International Woodworkers of America
Term1937-1940

Early Life

Shingle weavers outside of a shingle mill in Washington, c. 1923. Pritchett worked as a shingle weaver in a mill that would have been similar to this one. Shingle mill crew and bundles of shingles, Saginaw Timber Company, ca 1923 (KINSEY 517).jpeg
Shingle weavers outside of a shingle mill in Washington, c. 1923. Pritchett worked as a shingle weaver in a mill that would have been similar to this one.

Harold Pritchett was born in Birmingham, England, on May 9, 1904. [1] [2] [3] He immigrated to Canada at age eight with his family and settled in Port Moody, British Columbia. He began working in a sawmill in Port Moody at age fifteen for ten cents per hour. [2] Pritchett stated that his first exposure to unions was in 1921 when he attended a meeting with One Big Union (IWW in Canada), and he became one of the first members of the AFL-affiliated Shingle Weavers Union when it was established in 1925. [4] It was around this time that some historians believe Pritchett became an active member of the Communist Party, though conclusive evidence has not been found. Though Pritchett always publicly denied Party membership, many labor leaders at the time were aware of the negative connotations associated with the Communist Party and sought to keep their membership private. The Communist Party owned property next door to Pritchett in Port Moody that it used for organizing activities, which Pritchett participated in. [2] [3]

Organizing the CIO

Expulsion from the Shingle Weavers

Pritchett rose to prominence as a promising young organizer in the Shingle Weavers Union and was elected president of his local in 1932. He and his local, however, were expelled from the union in the same year due to alleged communist infiltration. Pritchett then became involved in the Federation of Woodworkers, affiliated with the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners, led by William Hutcheson, who Pritchett and others frequently clashed with. At a convention in Tacoma in 1937, the Federation of Woodworkers voted to disaffiliate from the Carpenters and Joiners and join the Committee for Industrial Organization (CIO). [3] [5] [6]

Organizing the IWA

Following their decision to affiliate with the CIO, the Federation of Woodworkers became known as the International Woodworkers of America, and Pritchett was elected the first president. In the early years, Pritchett and other lumber workers found themselves embroiled in a power struggle. Violent clashes erupted as the Carpenters and Joiners sought to boycott all products made by IWA members and block production at IWA-controlled mills. [2] [6] Pritchett also found his control of the union challenged by Al Hartung of the Columbia River District Council (CDRC), who formed a conservative faction within the union known as the Opposition Bloc. Pritchett was able to maintain his control of the union, though the accusations made against him of communist infiltration would ultimately bring about his downfall. [2] [3] [5]

As leader of the IWA, Pritchett embraced the CIO's slogan of "organize the unorganized," and the IWA experienced substantial growth. Membership expanded out of the Pacific Northwest to California, the Midwest, and the American South. The IWA also became extremely powerful in Canada. [2] [5] In the late 1930's, Pritchett went on a series of tours as part of the CIO's campaign to organize the Deep South and made speeches to crowds of both Black and white workers. [2] [3]

Deportation

In 1939, Pritchett was reelected president of the IWA after another challenge from Hartung. In response, Hartung and his supporters from the CDRC accused Pritchett of fixing the election. [7] Adolph Germer was sent by CIO president John L. Lewis to conduct an organizing drive and bring order to the union. Germer was a staunch anticommunist and collaborated with the CRDC to drive out Pritchett from his position. Pritchett's downfall from the IWA represented an early sign of a shift that occurred in the CIO, as the leadership tried to distance themselves from the union's radical roots. [2]

In 1940, Pritchett announced that he had applied for a permanent resident visa in the United States. Since 1936, he and his family had been living in the US continuously on visitor status, but the permit had expired and was unable to be renewed. In the hearing, Pritchett was barred from entry on the grounds that he was a communist and involved in subversive activities to undermine the US government's authority. Trapped in Vancouver, Pritchett was unable to attend the 1940 IWA convention and was forced to resign his position as international president. [2] [3]

Post-Deportation and Later Life

Pritchett remained involved in the IWA in Canada and became president of a district in British Columbia. Distanced from American anticommunist reactionaries, he also became involved in the leadership of the Labor Progressive Party. [2] In 1948, Pritchett led an attempt to break from the IWA and form a new red union, known as the Woodworkers Industrial Union of Canada. This project was short-lived, and by 1951 the union had dissolved. Pritchett tried multiple times to rejoin the IWA, but he remained permanently banned. He spent the rest of his life working as a sawyer and a shingle weaver. Pritchett died in 1982. [8]

Further Reading

Related Research Articles

The Communist Party USA and its allies played an important role in the United States labor movement, particularly in the 1930s and 1940s, but wasn't successful either in bringing the labor movement around to its agenda of fighting for socialism and full workers' control over industry, or in converting their influence in any particular union into membership gains for the Party. The CP has had only negligible influence in labor since its supporters' defeat in internal union political battles in the aftermath of World War II and the CIO's expulsion of the unions in which they held the most influence in 1950. After the expulsion of the Communists, organized labor in the United States began a steady decline.

The Communist Party (CP) and its allies played a role in the United States labor movement, particularly in the 1930s and 1940s, but largely wasn't successful either in bringing the labor movement around to its agenda or in converting their influence in any particular union into membership gains for the Party. The CP has had only negligible influence in labor since its supporters' defeat in internal union political battles in the aftermath of World War II and the Congress of Industrial Organizations's (CIO) expulsion of unions in which the party held the most influence in 1950. The expelled parties were often raided by stronger unions, and most withered away.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jay Lovestone</span> American activist (1897–1990)

Jay Lovestone was an American activist. He was at various times a member of the Socialist Party of America, a leader of the Communist Party USA, leader of a small oppositionist party, an anti-Communist and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) helper, and foreign policy advisor to the leadership of the AFL–CIO and various unions within it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Meany</span> American labor leader (1894–1980)

William George Meany was an American labor union leader for 57 years. He was the key figure in the creation of the AFL–CIO and served as the AFL–CIO's first president, from 1955 to 1979.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Steelworkers</span> Industrial labor union in North America

The United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union, commonly known as the United Steelworkers (USW), is a general trade union with members across North America. Headquartered in Pittsburgh, the United Steelworkers represents workers in Canada, the Caribbean, and the United States. The United Steelworkers represent workers in a diverse range of industries, including primary and fabricated metals, paper, chemicals, glass, rubber, heavy-duty conveyor belting, tires, transportation, utilities, container industries, pharmaceuticals, call centers, museums, and health care.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America</span> Labor union in North America

The United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America, often simply the United Brotherhood of Carpenters (UBC), was formed in 1881 by Peter J. McGuire and Gustav Luebkert. It has become one of the largest trade unions in the United States, and through chapters, and locals, there is international cooperation that poises the brotherhood for a global role. For example, the North American Chapter has over 520,000 members throughout the continent. 

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter J. McGuire</span> American labor leader (1852–1906)

Peter J. McGuire was an American labor leader of the nineteenth century. He co-founded the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America in 1881 along with Gustav Luebkert and became one of the leading figures in the first three decades of the American Federation of Labor. He is credited with first proposing the idea of Labor Day as a national holiday in 1882.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lee Pressman</span> American lawyer

Lee Pressman was a labor attorney and earlier a US government functionary, publicly alleged in 1948 to have been a spy for Soviet intelligence during the mid-1930s, following his recent departure from Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) as a result of its purge of Communist Party members and fellow travelers. From 1936 to 1948, he represented the CIO and member unions in landmark collective bargaining deals with major corporations including General Motors and U.S. Steel. According to journalist Murray Kempton, anti-communists referred to him as "Comrade Big."

John Jacob Abt was an American lawyer and politician, who spent most of his career as chief counsel to the Communist Party USA (CPUSA) and was a member of the Communist Party and the Soviet spy network "Ware Group" as alleged by Whittaker Chambers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John P. Frey</span>

John Philip Frey was a labor activist and president of the American Federation of Labor's Metal Trades Department during a crucial period in American labor history.

International Woodworkers of America (IWA) was an industrial union of lumbermen, sawmill workers, timber transportation workers and others formed in 1937.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph Curran</span> American sailor and labor leader (1906–1981)

Joseph Curran was a merchant seaman and an American labor leader. He was founding president of the National Maritime Union from 1937 to 1973, and a vice president of the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO).

Charles Hibbert (Charlie) Millard was a Canadian trade union activist and politician.

Lynn Russell Williams was a Canadian labour leader best remembered as the International President of the United Steelworkers union (USW) from 1983 until his retirement in 1994. Williams was the first Canadian to head a major North American industrial union.

Robert Anthony Georgine was a labor union activist and leader in the United States, and served for a number of years as president, chairman and chief executive officer of the Union Labor Life Insurance Company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leo Gerard</span> Canadian trade union leader

Leo W. Gerard is a retired steelworker and Canadian and American labour leader. He was elected president of the United Steelworkers (USW) in 2001, becoming the second Canadian to head the union. He served in the role until July 2019. He also served on the Executive Council of the AFL-CIO.

Lloyd McBride was an American labor leader and president of the United Steelworkers of America from 1977 to 1983.

The United Public Workers of America (1946–1952) was an American labor union representing federal, state, county, and local government employees. The union challenged the constitutionality of the Hatch Act of 1939, which prohibited federal executive branch employees from engaging in politics. In United Public Workers of America v. Mitchell, 330 U.S. 75 (1947), the Supreme Court of the United States upheld the Hatch Act, finding that its infringement on the Constitutional rights was outweighed by the need to end political corruption. The union's leadership was Communist, and in a famous purge the union was ejected from its parent trade union federation, the Congress of Industrial Organizations, in 1950.

The 1935Pacific Northwest lumber strike was an industry-wide labor strike organized by the Northwest Council of Sawmill and Timber Workers Union (STWU). The strike lasted for more than three and a half months and paralyzed much of the lumber industry in Northern California, Oregon and Washington state. Although the striking workers only achieved part of their demands, the repercussions of the long and often violent strike were felt for decades. Over the next several years, a newly radicalized and militant generation of lumber workers would go on to spark several more industry-wide strikes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Congress of Industrial Organizations</span> North American federation of labor unions from 1935 to 1955

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 Labor (AFL) by John L. Lewis, a leader of the United Mine Workers (UMW), and called the Committee for Industrial Organization. Its name was changed in 1938 when it broke away from the AFL. It focused on organizing unskilled workers, who had been ignored by most of the AFL unions.

References

  1. ↑ "Harold Pritchett papers and oral history interview - Archives West". archiveswest.orbiscascade.org. Retrieved 2023-08-25.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Harold Pritchett: Communism & the International Woodworkers of America - Seattle Civil Rights and Labor History Project". depts.washington.edu. Retrieved 2023-08-25.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Lembcke, Jerry; Tattam, William M. (1984). One union in wood: [A political history of the International Woodworkers of America.] Jerry Lembcke and William M. Tattam. Madeira Park, B.C. [usw: ] Harbour Publ. [usw.] ISBN   978-0-920080-43-6.
  4. ↑ Labor Archives of Washington, University of Washington Libraries Special Collections (1970-10-31), Harold Pritchett - Oral History Audio , retrieved 2023-08-25
  5. 1 2 3 Gray, Stephen (July 1989), Woodworkers and Legitimacy: The IWA in Canada, 1937-1957 (PDF), Department of History, Simon Fraser University
  6. 1 2 Beda, Steven C. (2009). ""More than a Tea Party": The IWA Women's Auxiliary in the Pacific Northwest, 1937-1948". The Pacific Northwest Quarterly. 100 (3): 134–145. ISSN   0030-8803. JSTOR   40492204.
  7. ↑ Fink, Gary M., ed. (1978). The Greenwood encyclopedia of American institutions. 1: Labor unions / Gary M. Fink [Hrsg.] Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press. ISBN   978-0-8371-8938-3.
  8. ↑ "Harold Pritchett, the founding president of the International Woodworkers... - UPI Archives". UPI. Retrieved 2023-08-25.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.