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The president of the United Auto Workers, Gary Jones, survived an attempt to remove him from office at a high-level meeting Friday, a day after his involvement in a scheme to hijack the union money.
"The meeting is over," confirmed the spokesman of the UAW, Brian Rothenberg. "There is no change, Gary Jones is the union president."
On Friday, it was still unclear how long Jones would remain in power despite growing pressure from the UAW's top authorities, local unions across the country and the broadening of the federal investigation into union corruption. .
The closed meeting of the UAW International Executive Council at the Westin Detroit Metropolitan Hotel, according to four sources aware of the situation, was the first public indication that Jones might not survive the scandal which has already resulted in nine convictions and at times senior leaders of the UAW.
The sources said that a faction of the union's board of directors seems to be pushing to pull Jones out, preserve the union's autonomy and anticipate a possible takeover of the UAW by the government .
On Friday afternoon, two board members, Area Director 1, Frank Stuglin, and Area 1A Director, Chuck Browning, were sighted entering the Westin Airport after a break. After the meeting, Jones's driver and others physically prevented an Associated Press reporter from trying to approach him for questions.
The 14-member council – made up of regional directors of the union, three vice-presidents, a secretary-treasurer and a president – is the union's governing body. It has the power to initiate a trial against officers likely to reprimand, suspend or remove them, in accordance with Section 30, sections 1 and 13 of the UAW Constitution.
"I think he's feeling that even though he's innocent, they do not want a president in office who could be indicted," said Erik Gordon, a business professor at University of Michigan. "It should be pretty clear that the government is pursuing it. How high does the government want to go or does it think it can go? Jones It's so high.
The meeting was held approximately 32 hours before the expiry of the contract between the union and General Motors Co., its target company, which is due to expire on Saturday night, which could result in the dispatch of 46,000 hourly workers at the picket line. The growing criminal investigation, marked by August 28 searches at Jones and former President Dennis Williams' homes, is likely to complicate the most significant negotiations since the collapse of two Detroit automakers a decade ago.
The UAW leaders meeting a day after a federal criminal complaint and the accompanying affidavit involved Jones and Williams in a broad conspiracy of corruption that embezzled more than one million people. membership fee dollars on Palm Springs villas, grilled dinners, over 100 rounds of golf, cigars and $ 400 Champagne Louis Roederer Crystal bottles.
Meanwhile, negotiations with GM have virtually stopped, according to a source close to the situation, while bargaining teams on both sides are waiting to hear the results of the meeting of UAW leaders. The union extended contract extensions to Ford Motor Co. and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV on Friday to focus on GM in a context of growing crisis.
"The fact that corrupt leaders are the basis of the union does not in any way for the union to be always relevant," said Chris Vitale, 46, a veteran of the UAW who tests vehicles at Fiat Chrysler's headquarters in Auburn Hills. "I despise what they did." "Frankly, until the federal government cleans up this (international) union and allows each written check, this union will not clean."
While the federal corruption investigation targets more and more senior officers, UAW members and leaders worry about the impact of the federal government 's investigation into corruption. ongoing federal inquiry into the negotiations and details of the next four-year contract.
Members are worried about the future of their plants, job security, salary increases, maintenance of health care benefits. Their concern over the investigation intensified this week after the Detroit News confirmed that Jones is an unidentified union official, accused in a criminal case of helping to orchestrate a conspiracy that lasted years and involved embezzlement. membership fees.
"It destroys the integrity of our organization and our raison d'être, and in some ways it does not weaken our bargaining power, but it weakens the loyalty and trust our members need." said Rich LeTourneau, president of Local 2209's workshop, which represents approximately 4,000 members at GM's assembly plant in Fort Wayne.
Nine people – including five union leaders and the wife of a deceased vice president – were convicted in a corruption investigation, on how executives were using the accounts of training centers funded by automakers and membership fees.
The UAW Region 5 director, Vance Pearson, was charged Thursday with embezzling union funds, mail fraud and wire lending and money laundering. Pearson was involved in a multi-year plot that would have entangled Jones and Williams. Neither Jones nor Williams have been charged.
Unless there is an extension that will probably not be granted until Saturday afternoon at the earliest, the union's GM contract will expire at 11:59. Saturday. To reach an agreement in principle would only begin: the leaders would have to obtain the agreement ratified by one of the members implicated by the federal inquiry.
"The ratification was going to be difficult even if it did not happen," said Kristin Dziczek, vice president of industry, labor and the economy of the Center for Automotive Research based in Ann Arbor. "Members decide whether there is a good deal or not."
Mr. Le Toureau in Fort Wayne believes that his membership will not let the corruption investigation affect his decision on a contract – if that is good. But he says "in the long run, they will want retaliation for these problems, and international representatives should be at a much higher level."
In a statement posted on Facebook, Jason Starr, president of UAW Local 249, and Jim Fisher, president of the negotiations, based in Pleasant Valley, Missouri, and part of area 5 formerly led by Jones, wrote that they thought all the defendants were innocent until proven otherwise. But those who have proven to have violated the constitution of the UAW "should be punished to the fullest extent permitted by law".
"The damage caused by corruption to the reputation of our union is devastating," they wrote. "This has had a negative impact on critical organizations and sowed mistrust, as the timing of contract negotiations with the Detroit Three approaches."
Contractual issues
Matt Moorhead did not want to leave his homeland, Howland, in northeastern Ohio, but the former employee of the 47-year-old GM Lordstown Assembly did not see any problems. Another choice after signing the check to pay for his son's tuition. He knew that he had to accept a transfer to the Grand River Assembly in Lansing, leaving his wife, son, and daughter in Ohio.
"I think the contract that was passed with me was violated," he said. "I should continue to work in Lordstown.Many of us are moved from their families and this is not ok.This is not how you treat people who surpass."
The Lordstown Assembly Plant is one of four US facilities that GM is about to close. But union leaders have announced plans to fight for products for the affected facilities.
In addition to securing jobs and more products, workers would also like a wage system that makes everyone equal. A GM worker with less than a year of experience earns $ 45,470 in salaries and bonuses and a worker with seven to eight years of experience earns $ 99,363, according to the UAW / GM 2015 contract.
"I'd like to see them take everyone to the first level and get rid of all levels," said Terry Simms, 57, a construction worker at the assembly line of GM's Flint assembly plant. "Remove the stands.You can not have solidarity if you have a divided house, and our house is divided."
Ready to hit
Members say that they are willing to go on strike if necessary to get what they are fighting for, but are also worried about how a strike will affect them financially.
"I always tell them and I tell them for a year:" Be prepared for the worst and hope for the best, "said Randy Freeman, president of Local 652, who represents workers at the Grand River mill. "No one wins on strike."
Local leaders of the UAW are preparing for a strike, so it's up to pitch tents and first aid kits for the picket line or to make sure that the Food will be available in the union hall as workers prepare to live on strike pay of $ 250 a week. The union raised the salary by $ 50 at a special convention in March.
Hundreds of UAW staff and members set up signs and prepare further for Roanoke Local 2209, Indiana, where GM Fort Wayne Assembly Plans produces GMC pickup trucks Sierra and Chevrolet Silverado.
"They are ready and ready to go on strike, if that happens," LeTourneau said.
Many of its members "plan a strike. They want to go out. Hopefully this can change the way management treats people. They have a whole new attitude about how they treat people. It's like they had lost sight of the fact that people were their most important asset. "
Le Tourne assumed that his factory could be a target for the strike. According to Cox Automotive, Silverado's and Sierra's dealer inventory is 93 and 84 days respectively, which is above the average for the 64-day truck sector.
"It would be a very critical plant," he said, "to be demolished now."
Twitter: @bykaleahall
Personal Editor Breana Noble contributed.
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