- Collection:
- Southern Labor Archives
- Title:
- William R. "Billy" Powell oral history interview, 1995-08-25
- Creator:
- Powell, William
- Contributor to Resource:
- Lutz, Christine
- Publisher:
- Atlanta, Ga. : Georgia State University Library
- Date of Original:
- 1995-08-25
- Subject:
- Labor unions--Officials and employees
Labor unions--Organizing
Telecommunication--Employees--Labor unions - Location:
- Japan, 35.68536, 139.75309
United States, Georgia, 32.75042, -83.50018 - Medium:
- oral histories (literary works)
audiocassettes
interviews - Type:
- Sound
- Format:
- audio/mpeg
- Description:
- Billy Powell was born in 1934 in Atlanta, Georgia. He attended Roosevelt High School through grade 10, after which he joined the US Navy and fought in Korea. After joining the Communications Workers of America (CWA) he worked his way up the ranks from Steward to Plant Representative, to Vice President of CWA Local 3204, to President of CWA Local 3204. He was then elected Vice President of the Georgia American Federation of Labor–Congress Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) District 5 from 1978 to 1982. Beyond his labor involvement, Powell served as President of the Atomic Veterans’ Association, which provides support and benefits for veterans exposed to nuclear radiation.
Mr. Powell begins his interview by explaining his family and personal background. His parents both died when he was five years old, so he and his siblings were raised by various aunts and uncles. He talks about Grant Park in the 1940s, including his employment as a soda jerk, and dropping out of high school to join the Navy. Powell then talks about his experiences during the Korean War, mentioning especially his time at Pusan, visiting Japan, and hydrogen bomb testing in the Pacific. He explains that after the war he went to work at Southern Bell, joined the Communications Workers of America (CWA), got married, and became an active organizer for the CWA. When Mr. Powell was asked by his interviewer if Georgia Democrats have supported unions as they should, he replied that “they go hand in hand in the state.” In terms of influential people, Powell lists Ms. Lillian Carter, Sam Caldwell, Zell Miller, and J.T. Becker. He also discusses the changing labor workforce since the 1960s, civil rights, and the CWA’s Equity Committee. - Metadata URL:
- http://digitalcollections.library.gsu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/labor/id/6073
- IIIF manifest:
- https://digitalcollections.library.gsu.edu/iiif/2/labor:6073/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-NonCommerical-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. For more information, see http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
- Bibliographic Citation (Cite As):
- Cite as: Powell, William R., interviewed by Chris Lutz, August 25, 1995, Voices of Labor Oral History Project, Southern Labor Archives. Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University.
- Extent:
- 01:12:49
- 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:
-
