History 

THE HISTORY OF IBEW LOCAL 1579

Local Union 1579 was chartered February 10, 1948.  The Charter was installed by W. L. Holst, International Rep. with a membership of 36.  Guy T. Solomon was elected Business Manager.  Because of financial conditions, the Local was forced to rent a small dark, cold, upstairs room at 636 ½ Broad Street.  It was a one man operation through the year 1948 with Business Manager Solomon doing the office work and organizing simultaneously.  The regular meetings were held at the V. F. W. Hall at 10^th and Broad Streets.  With a 3% assessment on the membership and strenuous organizing campaign conducted by the Business Manager, the Local had enough signed contractors to increase the membership to over 100 by March 1949. 

As the membership grew, the Local moved to 215  9^th Street.  The Local had three contractors and a wage rate of $1.75 per hour for Journeyman.  Bad economical conditions and inexperience probably accounts for the year of 1948 being the toughest in the history of the Local. 

By 1951 the Local had 12 signed contractors and a membership of some 200.  The wages for Journeymen was $2.25 per hour.  By this time the Local had secured its place in the community and was stable in every respect.  Along about this time, the Savannah River Project was started and the Local undertook the largest Electrical job ever to be done.  The Local grew by leaps and bounds and was at the time one of the largest locals in the 5^th District. 

The 1950s brought many projects in addition to SRP, such as Hydro-Electric Plant at Clarks Hill, Urquhart Steam Plant, Talmadge Hospital, and The University Hospital.  Thanks to these projects the membership increased to 1200 members with 2500 electrical workers in the jurisdiction. 

Business Manager Solomon left the Local for a job with the International in 1960, leaving Assistant Business Manager L. W. Gulledge as the new Business Manager.  In 1962 Business Manager Gulledge was defeated by a slim margin for Business Manager by W. S. Carter, who served as Business Manager until his death in 1970. 

With the Journeyman wage at $3.45 per hour, the 1960’s proved to be very prosperous for the Local.  It brought projects such as The Georgia Railroad Bank, the new 10 story University Hospital and Eisenhower Hospital. 

The death of Brother Carter left a vacancy for Business Manager.  The Executive Board appointed T. E. “Pug” Schneider as Business Manager, He went on to be elected Business Manager and served the Local until 1979.  In 1979, T. S. Yarbrough was elected Business Manager. 

Bad economical times plagued the 1970s but the Local was fortunate enough to have Plant Vogtle break ground as well as The Regency and The Augusta Malls.  Both malls were finished in 1978. 

With a scale of $15.80 per hour in 1986, the 1980’s were bad economical times for most of the country, but good economical times for Local Union 1579.  Thanks to Plant Vogtle, Navel Fuels and S – Area our jurisdiction had over 3000 electricians working.  Business Manager Yarbrough and Assistant Business Manager Edgar Rooks had their hands full giving out referrals, which included over 10,000 traveling brothers and sisters. 

The 1990s was a very trying time for the Local.  The workforce decreased from 1200 to under 200 electricians at the Savannah River Site.  Although there was a few projects going on such as Port Royal, Bridgestone, and The Shaw Carpet Plant, many of our Journeymen were working in other Locals across the country.

At the turn of the century, things seemed to be picking up in our jurisdiction.  MMI at International Paper employed about 86 Electricians and over 100 Electricians were Employed at The TEF Project at The Savannah River Site.  Many of our members were still working out of town, but some were coming home to work these projects. 

In 2006, with Business Manager Yarbrough retiring, there was an open seat for Business Manager.  The Local elected Kenneth T. Ward as Business Manager, who is still leading the Local Today. 

The future looks bright for Local Union 1579.  With the MOX kicking off at The Savannah River Site, and Units 3 & 4 at Plant Vogtle scheduled to officially start in January 2009, our Local can look forward to many years of employment.

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