Harold Pritchett

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.

[2][3] Pritchett rose to prominence as a promising young organizer in the Shingle Weavers Union and was elected president of his local in 1932.

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).

[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.

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.

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.

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.