Hobby describes how he came to be involved in the labor movement. In 1946, Hobby was employed by the American Tobacco Company. Shortly thereafter he joined the union—at the time, he explains, he was simply "following the crowd." After filing a grievance with the union over his treatment on the job, Hobby became increasingly involved in the union and was eventually elected as the president of the night shift union workers. From there, he became increasingly involved in politics, namely with the Voters for Better Government at the time.