By Shreyasee Raj and Ben Klayman
(Reuters) -United Auto Workers (UAW) said on Friday President Rory Gamble will retire at the end of June, a year before completing his tenure, after steering the union through a multi-year federal corruption investigation.
Gamble, 65, took charge of the 400,000-strong labor union in late 2019 from Gary Jones, who was ousted for embezzling union funds and was later sentenced to 28 months in jail.
A UAW spokesperson said the executive board began meeting this afternoon over naming a successor to Gamble.
“After looking at the progress we have made and the best interests of UAW members for a stable transfer of power, this is the right time for me to turn over the reins,” Gamble said.
During Gamble’s tenure, the union agreed to an independent oversight to resolve a five-year corruption investigation in which Jones and a former president Dennis Williams pleaded guilty. Gamble has also been advocating to protect the interests of union workers as the rollout of electric vehicles would require fewer parts to build, putting UAW-represented engine plants at risk.
Many UAW autoworkers earn their livings building Detroit-brand, petroleum-burning pickup trucks and SUVs or assembling engines and other components.
“He (Gamble) is a tough but fair leader, cares deeply about the industry and Ford, and has shown his commitment to his UAW colleagues throughout his career,” said Bill Ford, executive chairman of Ford Motor. Under him, the union has also been pushing General Motors and Ford Motor Co to allow it to represent workers at the automakers’ planned joint venture electric-battery plants. Among Gamble’s possible successors are UAW Secretary-Treasurer Ray Curry and vice presidents Cindy Estrada, Terry Dittes and Gerald Kariem, who lead the Stellantis, GM and Ford departments, respectively. “Rory has been a pioneer. During his term, he has steered the union through challenging and unprecedented times, which includes a global pandemic and our recent merger with Groupe PSA,” said Mike Manley, the America head of carmaker Stellantis.
The union did not make Gamble available for further comment.
(Reporting by Shreyasee Raj in Bengaluru and Ben Klayman in Detroit; Editing by Ramakrishnan M. and Arun Koyyur)
