Thomas "Tommy" Yarbrough oral history interview, September 15, 2005

Interviewed by Norman Slawsky: Going into some detail about his early life, Yarbrough recalls the difficulties of working with his parents on a plantation in Washington County. He then discusses his move to Augusta to begin working at a cotton mill and his starting an apprenticeship program with the IBEW. He further discusses his training as an electrician, his time in the Army and his travels as a journeyman. He states that he became involved in the union because of its efforts in securing good wages and working conditions for workers; a safe working environment, in his opinion, is the most important thing unions have helped achieve. Yarbrough goes on to talk about his rise to the position of business manager of IBEW Local 1579. In 1979, urged by co-workers upon the retirement of the incumbent, he ran for and won the position. In his more than 26 years as business manager, Yarbrough says, he has worked with other labor leaders, such as Edgar West and W.J. Usery, on negotiations with Westinghouse and the Department of Energy, among others. His work on the Council of Industrial Relations and his being among the first business managers to sign reciprocal agreements were, in his opinion, his most significant contributions to labor. While he expresses some fear over the outlook of unions in general, he has hope that measures like the Code of Excellence will help secure organized labor's future. Unions Represented: International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW)