Frank Yarnitsky was born in 1925 in Mahanoy Plane, a mining community of about 2,000 in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. He was active in the United Mine Workers union in the anthracite coal region (UMW Districts 1, 7, 9). In this region during the late 1960s UMW President William Boyd was unpopular and Yarnitsky and another union member, William Savitsky, coordinated meetings to support rival candidate Joseph Yablonski. When Yablonski was later murdered, Yarnitsky and Savitsky organized Anthracite Miners for Democracy and opened an office in Shenandoah, Pa. to support grassroots candidate Arnold Miller for UMW President. Upon winning the election, Miller appointed Yarnitsky union monitor of Local 2587, District 25 (which merged the old UMW Districts 1, 7, 9). Miller resigned in 1969 and was succeeded by his vice president Sam Church. Church appointed Yarnitsky international representative of District 25 on February 27, 1975, and union organizer in the Hazelton area in March 1980. In 1982, after Church was soundly defeated by Richard Trumpka, Yarnitsky was not reappointed as union organizer. He continues to live in Shenandoah, Pa.
From the description of Frank Yarnitsky papers, 1901-1983. (Pennsylvania State University Libraries). WorldCat record id: 430215275
