[1] The fishermen's catch and distribution of the fish caught was concentrated in major ports that included cities such as San Francisco, Astoria, Seattle, and Bristol Bay (Alaska).
The IFAWA came to be in May 1939 and consisted of six combined fishing unions, was affiliated with the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO), and represented fishery workers in the states of California, Oregon, Washington, and Alaska.
[1] The decisions and rulings laid down from Office of Price Administration (OPA) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), during and after World War II, had direct effect on the fishing industry in the Pacific Northwest and the IFAWA.
[4] Also during July there was a tie-up, lasting 23 days, on the Columbia River and short strike by the Alaska Fishermen's Union, a member of the IFAWA, against the Alaskan Salmon Industry.
[5] The offer by the packers was a decrease of over 22% from the previous year and picket committees were formed in the cities of Seattle, Tacoma, Gig Harbor, Anacortes, Everett, and Bellingham.
The main point of the strike was for the average fishermen to earn a higher wage in the long-term, and they saw $50 fines for not participating in picket line duty.
[7] There were many minor negotiations and disputes settled throughout October 1949, between packers and local fishermen of IFAWA in the Puget Sound but the strike carried on into the depths of fall.
The Local 3, a part of the IFAWA, in the Puget Sound was at the height of its membership at the time but overall after the strike the union was low on resources and combined with the ILWU.
[3] The imports of Canadian fishermen at this time were a big hit to the IFAWA and the packers now had more reasons to reject their offers in future years on prices for fish.
[1] The fishermen of the Puget Sound were fighting for a "living wage" and received it but it was lost in the wash with the combining of the ILWU and IFAWA, however the strike of 1949 deserves its place in history.