Local 313 History

THE HISTORY OF A DEDICATED TEAMSTER

 

John Jacobs (Jake) –  Born in the mid to late 1880’s – March 25, 1949

 

Blanche Tice, wife to William Eugene Tice and daughter-in-law to John Jacobs (Jake), stopped by our Local with some wonderful pictures of her father-in-law as a Teamster in 1909 with Local 313.  She was kind enough to give them to us and we would like to personally thank her for her generosity.  Immediately, we knew there was a great story behind the two pictures she brought us.

 

Left: John (Jake) Jacobs hard working as a Teamster in 1909.  Below: John Jacobs

John Jacobs was a very prevalent Teamster.  He hauled cement and bricks behind his two strapping horses while helping other hard working Teamsters erect Union Station in downtown Tacoma.  At the same time he was very proud and proactive in building this great union we now call, International Brotherhood of Teamsters.  John Jacobs was dedicated to the cause and no one would make him believe anything different. He was Vice-President of the Washington State Federation of Labor, President of the Building Trades Council and delegate to the Central Labor Council and Teamsters District Joint Council.  John Jacobs witnessed several changes through the years as a Teamster.  In 1907 Daniel J. Tobin was the President of International Brotherhood of Teamsters and Harry Satterly was the Secretary-Treasurer of IBT Drivers Local 313.  John became a Business Agent first under Secretary-Treasurer, W.O. Johnson and then Secretary-Treasurer Satterly’s guidance in the 1930’s and 1940’s.  John was involved in the creation of the Teamsters Building in 1940 and Whitey Dahlager, IBT Organizer, donated the site at 220 South 27th Street in Tacoma.  On May 28, 1941, Local Unions 313, 461, 567 and 951 met at Fellowship Hall along with 3,500 members who voted to buy Grand Ball tickets, equal to one days pay.  The entire $20,000.00 needed to erect the new building was raised at this one event and is the same building Local 313 resides in today.

 

John Jacobs had a step-son, William Eugene Tice (Gene) whom was Blanche’s husband.  Ironically, he worked at the railroad relay office his step-father helped build as a hard working Teamster.

 

Blanche told us a great story from about her trip to Tacoma when she and Gene were planning to marry in 1942.  She came from Spokane, where she resided at the time, to visit Gene and decided to go downtown and purchase her wedding suit.  She came home with the suit and showed it to Gene’s mother, Hazel Jacobs.  Hazel (being married to John Jacobs) immediately looked at the label on the inside of the suit and asked Blanche “Where is the Union Label?”  Not being raised in a union family herself, Blanche sheepishly asked “What Union Label?”  Hazel replied, “You must have went to the only shop in Tacoma that was not Union!” Needless to say Blanche had never heard of a Union and could not be blamed, but as Blanche informed us, her future mother-in-law was very quick to set her straight.

Special thanks to Blanche for enlighting us with this Teamster history!