- Collection:
- Southern Labor Archives
- Title:
- J.W. Giles oral history interview, 1995-09-11
- Creator:
- Giles, J. W. (James William), 1925-
- Contributor to Resource:
- Lutz, Christine
- Publisher:
- Atlanta, Ga. : Georgia State University Library
- Date of Original:
- 1995-09-11
- Subject:
- Electric industry workers--Labor unions
Labor union locals
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers
American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees - Location:
- United States, Georgia, Fulton County, 33.79025, -84.46702
United States, Georgia, Fulton County, Atlanta, 33.749, -84.38798 - Medium:
- oral histories (literary works)
audiocassettes
interviews - Type:
- Sound
- Format:
- audio/mpeg
- Description:
- J. W. Giles, who was born January 20, 1925 in Atlanta, Georgia, attended John Brown Junior High and had a long career of union involvement. He was a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) from 1947 to 1965. During that time he held several positions in IBEW Local 84, including Vice President, President of Local 84 in 1959, and Business Manager from 1959-1965. In 1983 he became Business Manager and Financial Secretary of Local Lodge 84 as well as Vice President of the Southeastern Systems Council of IBEW. Also active in other labor organizations, Giles served Secretary of the Georgia State AFL-CIO in 1968. He worked with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) as Labor Liaison for Region 4 in 1972, was elected President of Georgia Electrical Worker’s Association in 1984 and played a role in the Atlanta Labor Temple Association and the Atlanta Labor Council. He was also a member of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) and served as Director of the organization’s District Council 14.
Giles begins by talking about growing up with a legally blind father and a mother with tuberculosis during the Great Depression, and his early work experience as a ‘soda jerk.’ He served in the Navy during World War II and was stationed for a time in China. Giles discusses his family life and post-war employment at Georgia Power Company during which he became a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW). He says that while at Georgia Power, “What motivated [me] to get active in the union was the way we were being treated [by both union and employer].” Great-grandfather participated in the Civil War as a member of the Confederate Army. Giles talks about power struggles within IBEW’s staff and the Southeast Assistant Council; the William Stagier Act, which established OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration); the 1968 wildcat strike; Hosea Williams; and AFSCME (American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees). Giles also mentions Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and civil rights, as well as problems of race relations within IBEW. On his views concerning segregation and civil rights, Giles says, “How can you tell a man to go fight for his country and then come home and tell his kids that you can’t use this water fountain and you can’t use this restroom, you can’t go in this restaurant, but yet son, when you get eighteen, you have to fight for your country too.” He also discusses the United Appeal. - Metadata URL:
- http://digitalcollections.library.gsu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/labor/id/6069
- IIIF manifest:
- https://digitalcollections.library.gsu.edu/iiif/2/labor:6069/manifest.json
- Language:
- eng
- Additional Rights Information:
- Copyright to this item is owned by Georgia State University Library. Georgia State University Library has made this item available under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. For more information see http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
- Bibliographic Citation (Cite As):
- Cite as: Giles, J.W., interviewed by Chris Lutz, September 11, 1995, Voices of Labor Oral History Project, Southern Labor Archives. Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University.
- Extent:
- 02:04:10
- Original Collection:
- Voices of Labor Oral History Project
http://research.library.gsu.edu/VoicesofLabor
Southern Labor Archives - Holding Institution:
- Georgia State University. Special Collections
- Rights:
-
