Dull, George F.

The following statement was submitted by Mr. Dull on March 12, 1980, for inclusion with his papers.

George F. Dull was born November 1, 1903, in North Western Arkansas. His mother was a native of Arkansas, while his father, who was a timber cutter-hauler, stave maker, crosstie maker, construction worker, and road builder was a native of North Western Ohio. George and his family moved to Ohio in 1916 and then moved to Goshen, Indiana.

In 1923 George went to work for the Studebaker Corp. at South Bend, Indiana. In the early 1930's, during the Depression, the First National Labor Act was passed allowing Labor Unions to organize. The workers at Studebaker's were among the first automobile companies to organize into an Industrial Union becoming Federated Labor Union 18310 under the American Federation of Labor (AFL). George became an active member in that union. During the organization of the UAW and the CIO in 1935, the Studebaker Union became Local 5 UAW-CIO.

In 1936 George became chairman of a committee of Local 5 known as the Compensation Committee. He was in charge of representing the workers of his local and educating them on a new law known as Unemployment Compensation. Also an older law known as Workman's Compensation Act.

Early in 1940, George was elected as a delegate to the Region Auto Workers Council. He continued the above work for that council. In 1942 the council sent George to Washington for a short period to lobby for certain bills. Also, in 1942 the Governor appointed George to a study committee on Unemployment Compensation. In 1943 the Auto Workers Council sent him to the State Capital to assist the CIO State Secretary in lobbying before the legislators of the state. In the Winter of 1943, the Governor of Indiana asked George to accept an appointment as Assistant Commissioner of Labor for Indiana. He did accept on January 1, 1944, with the blessings of Local 5 UAW and the Studebaker Corp. We lost the election that year to a republican, and all job appointments ended. George was offered the position of CIO Labor Representative on the Indiana Region of the War Production Board which he accepted January 9, 1945. He served until the end of the war when the office closed in September, 1945.

George tried the small business owner route until early 1949. During this time he moved to Texas in December, 1946. He soon married in February of 1949. In March, 1949, he received an offer at Chance-Vought Corp. in his old trade of lathe operator.

The UAW-CIO was in the process of organizing the workers at that time. George became active in that program. The UAW-CIO Local 893 won the election August 3, 1949. The first officers were elected and took office that Fall, headed by Charles Moll. George was elected president of that local in the Spring of 1950. During his term, the first aircraft contract with a cost-of-living provision was negotiated. The first C.O.L.A. was 3¢ paid beginning December 3, 1950. George was replaced as president in 1951 by Charles Scott.

From 1951 until 1955 George was somewhat active in his local union. In 1954 his first daughter was born. In 1955 he became Chairman of the By-Laws Committee and served on the Negotiation Committee as Chairman. In 1958 he was made Chairman of the Job Description Committee and continued on that committee until 1965. George served as night shift committeeman, 1961 through 1963 and was on the Negotiating Committee in 1961. In 1962 the company merged with the Temco Plants at Grand Prairie and Garland into the Ling-Temco-Vought Corp. The UAW Locals 390-UAW, 1081-UAW Temco, and 893-UAW Vought by vote of the membership joined together with a new chartered union known as Local 848-UAW. In 1963, George served on the Negotiations Committee which put these locals under one contract, one seniority, one grievance procedure, one insurance and pension. He continued through 1963 working with company and union on job inequities, job description, and review. In December of 1963, his second daughter was born. In 1964 George was elected chairman of the Grievance Committee and served until 1966 at which time he set aside all active union positions.

George left the company on August 1, 1970, and officially retired at the age of 66 in February, 1971. Since then he has been in Real Estate as a Broker and recently a CRS. He has received numerous awards throughout the years.

From the guide to the George F. Dull Papers AR149., 1949-1970, (Special Collections, The University of Texas at Arlington Library)