- Collection:
- Southern Labor Archives
- Title:
- Charlie Flemming oral history interview, 2022 December 7
- Creator:
- Flemming, Charlie
- Contributor to Resource:
- LaPorte, Philip A.
- Date of Original:
- 2022-12-07
- Subject:
- Atlanta Labor Council, AFL-CIO
Georgia State AFL-CIO
Southern Airways, Inc.
North Central Airlines
Republic Airlines
International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers
Hughes Airwest
Northwest Airlines Corporation
Delta Air Lines
Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association
United Food and Commercial Workers International Union. Local 1063 (College Park, Ga.)
Orange, James (Civil rights worker)
Pittston Coal Company
Teamsters
International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace, and Agricultural Implement Workers of America
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers
Railway Labor Act (United States)
COVID-19 Pandemic (2020-)
Huntingdon College (Montgomery, Ala.)
Clayton State University (Morrow, Ga.)
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
Rallies--Hot weather conditions
Marches--Hot weather conditions
Consolidation and merger of corporations
Baseball
Basketball
Airlines--Deregulation
Labor leaders
Lungs--Cancer
Machinists--Labor unions
Employee fringe benefits
Pensions
Apprenticeship programs
Grievance procedures
Shop stewards
Labor union locals
Strikes and lockouts--Coal mining
Demonstrations
Mayors--Election
State governments--Officials and employees
Wages
Central labor councils
Lobbying
Labor unions and education
Federal aid
Unemployment - People:
- Flemming, Charles, 1952-
LaPorte, Philip A.
Chao, Elaine L., 1953-
Franklin, Shirley, 1945-
Lewis, John, 1940-2020
Reed, Kasim
Diggs, Kenny
Warnock, Raphael G.
Acuff, Stewart
Lowery, Joseph, 1921-2020 - Location:
- United States, Alabama, 32.75041, -86.75026
United States, Georgia, Chatham County, Savannah, 32.08354, -81.09983
United States, Georgia, Dougherty County, Albany, 31.57851, -84.15574
United States, Georgia, Fulton County, Atlanta, 33.749, -84.38798
United States, Georgia, Fulton County, College Park, 33.65344, -84.44937
United States, Minnesota, Hennepin County, Minneapolis, 44.97997, -93.26384
United States, New York, Fulton County, Johnstown, 43.00674, -74.36764
United States, New York, Herkimer County, Illion - Medium:
- oral histories (document genres)
oral histories (literary genres) - Type:
- Moving Image
- Format:
- video/mp4
- Description:
- Referenced by: https://archivesspace.library.gsu.edu/repositories/2/archival_objects/321901 In this interview, Charlie Flemming recounts his youth playing sports and being raised by union-member parents. He discusses his early career in aviation, beginning in the storage department and progressing to a metal-finishing mechanic through a workplace training program. He recounts joining the IAM in 1979 and the effects of deregulation and mergers on the aviation industry. He tells LaPorte about his involvement in the union at the local level, including running for office and representing the union during contract negotiations. He recalls his time as president of both the Atlanta Labor Council and the Georgia State AFL-CIO as being heavily politically involved. Flemming explains that much of his career involved protests, strikes, lobbying, and endorsement of political candidates. Flemming discusses the changes to the labor movement brought on by larger, international corporations and the rise of a new generation, which were further dramatized by the COVID-19 pandemic. As the interview comes to a close, he shares with LaPorte what he feels his biggest accomplishments were and who he feels were his biggest influences during his time as a labor leader, before reflecting on his decision to retire during the upcoming new year. Charlie Flemming was born in Illion New York in 1952. He moved to the Atlanta area at the age of eleven with his mother, father, and five brothers. His father was a member of UAW Local 882 until he died of lung cancer during Flemming's junior year of college. Flemming played basketball and other sports throughout childhood and college before going to work in aviation supply for Southern Airways. When Southern merged with North Central Airlines in 1979, Flemming joined the IAM. He held many offices for District 143 of the IAM and represented them during the many airline mergers and industry deregulation of the 1980s and 1990s. In 2001, Flemming became the president of the Atlanta Labor Council where he became involved with other local leaders and political action. In 2011, became the president of the Georgia State AFL-CIO. As president, Flemming lead the organization in its endorsement and support of Shirley Franklin, John Lewis, Kasim Reed and Raphel Warnock. Flemming retired from the role of President on January 1, 2023.
- External Identifiers:
- Metadata URL:
- https://dlg.usg.edu/record/gsu_labor_22791
- Language:
- eng
- Bibliographic Citation (Cite As):
- Charlie Flemming oral history interview, December 7, 2022, othertype: Oral History. Voices of Labor Oral History Project, L2022-06. Special Collections.
- Original Collection:
- Container 179||Voices of Labor Oral History Project
- Holding Institution:
- Georgia State University. Special Collections
- Rights:
-
