The Seafarers International Union received a tremendous honor Oct. 1 when the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) inducted the late SIU President Paul Hall into its Hall of Fame.Active and retired Seafarers, as well as members of Paul Hall’s family, attended the induction ceremony at the DOL offices in Washington, D.C.
“Paul Hall fought for good pay and benefits for American mariners, and he also fought for their education,” noted U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao. “It’s fitting that the Paul Hall Center for Maritime Training and Education today is instrumental in ensuring that young people have the opportunity to pursue careers at sea.”
SIU President Michael Sacco addressed the audience of approximately 200 people, which also included past and present SIU officials and students from the Paul Hall Center — the SIU’s affiliated school in Piney Point, Md.
“Today, we honor the memory of a man who was totally committed to the rank-and-file Seafarer,” Sacco stated. “I think it’s worth noting that through his unwavering support of the U.S. Merchant Marine, he also was dedicated to the national and economic security of the United States. Not only that, he was also a great champion of many, many other workers throughout the trade union movement.”
Two other individuals were inducted: Steve Young, former national president of the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP); and Milton Hershey, founder of Hershey Foods Corporation as well as the M.S. Hershey Foundation.
“The leaders we honor today were visionaries of courage, conviction, and service. Their ideals made a positive and lasting impact in improving the lives of working Americans,” said Chao.
In announcing the selections, the DOL noted that the Labor Hall of Fame was founded in 1989 to honor posthumously those Americans whose distinctive contributions enhanced the quality of life for America’s workers. Open to the public, the hall itself is composed of kiosks of memorabilia and is located in the North Plaza of the Department of Labor on Constitution Avenue.
Paul Hall served as the second president of the Seafarers International Union of North America. He contributed significant and far-reaching aid to the U.S. maritime industry. Hall was known by several U.S. Congressmen as the “father of the American Merchant Marine” for his role in the passage of the Merchant Marine Act of 1970.
“I worked with Paul for many years,” Sacco told the crowd. “He was tough and demanding and not always easy to work for. But he was 100 percent devoted to improving the lives of Seafarers and all workers, and he would accept nothing less than a 100 percent commitment from everyone around him. Paul was a man who wouldn’t ask you do to anything that he wouldn’t do himself. Ultimately, that’s a big reason why people worked so hard for him.”
He added, “What really set Paul apart was his foresight. Though he came from poverty and didn’t complete much schooling, he was a true visionary and was very much ahead of his time.”
Among Hall’s proudest accomplishments were securing good benefits for Seafarers and their families, and founding the Seafarers Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship in Piney Point, Md. in 1967. The main campus was renamed in Hall’s memory in 1991.
He died of cancer in 1980, at age 65.
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