UAW Mourns Mike Hall

UAW leaders and activists mourned Mike Hall together on August 18 and 19. Region 5 Director Jim Wells, all of Mike's fellow international reps, retired reps, and officers and activists from all of the UAW locals in North Texas exchanged their remembrances of Mike Hall and comforted one another. Flowers came from all over the area. One special arrangement carried a ribbon attesting that it had been sent by Mike's buddies in the grinding crib at Vought.

Union insignia was everywhere. The body was laid to rest in union T-shirt and UAW belt buckle. Union pins that Mike had especially liked went into the grave.

In the main reception area of Blessing Funeral Home, a wonderful collage of Mike's photographs had been prepared. A big "UAW" insignia was at its center. Among many others, Local 848's Chaplain, Kevin McDavid, paused to look at the pictures and remember happier days in the union movement when Mike Hall was alive.

Mike Hall won the local's presidency in 1993. He came in just as the aerospace industry was nosediving, and nobody knew how far down we would fall. We needed someone who was reliable, smart, and capable of working with a team. We found him.

On his first day, Mike Hall started what rapidly became the best program for laid-off workers in the aerospace industry. A lot of our layoff victims achieved satisfactory re-training; some of them finished college degrees!

Local 848, under Mike Hall, quickly became the darling of Region 5 because of our aggressive political program. Prior to Mike's day, Local 848 had never taken advantage of the opportunity to get dues check-off for V-CAP contributions. Local 848 shot to the top in Region 5 V-CAP collections!

The hard times in the industry continued, and tough decisions had to be made. Mike stuck it out for two terms, then lost an election in the same big leadership turnover that is sweeping America's unions in general and UAW aerospace in particular. Mike had barely gone back into the cutter-grinder crib at Vought when the UAW International called him into service. Then, Local 848 knew him as our very able international rep until his death on August 14.

Mike attended our leadership training session on August 10 to reassure everyone about the coming negotiations and to make a special appeal for V-CAP funds. He said it reflected poorly on the international rep if a local did not help with V-CAP drives, and he knew he could count on us. It was true. For years, we have counted on him.

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The Dallas Morning News ran this obituary:
Hall, Michael- 53, a dedicated husband, father, family man, and friend, and UAW International Representative, passed away Saturday, August 14, 2004 at home. Funeral: 2 P.M. Thursday at Walnut Ridge Baptist Church, 2351 Country Club Drive, Mansfield, TX. Visitation: 6-8 P.M., Wednesday at Blessing Funeral Home. Mike was born November 25, 1950 in Illinois. He was a dedicated worker and a twenty-five year UAW Member. He spent his last eleven years as the UAW Local 848 President and international representative where he worked everyday to aid his fellow union members. His strong dedication, love, and support that he was known so well for at work, were even more noticeable at home where he is remembered fondly as the best husband, father, family man, and friend. Survivors: Loving wife, Marty; daughters, Erinn and Jenny; sister, Christine; parents in law, John and Nida; sisters in law, Shelley, Jeanine and husband, Paul, Barbara and husband, Frank; brother in law, John, Jr. and wife Sheila; nieces, Katie, Deziray, Dominique, Jaquelyn, Emily, and Tai; nephews, John, Jim, Shane and David; beloved canine babies, Desi and Lucy. Blessing Funeral Home Mansfield, (817) 473-1555.
Published 8/16/2004.