UAW president Gary Jones has officially distanced himself from the union after taking a temporary leave of absence earlier this month.
Jones, a UAW member since 1975, stepped away from the union this week amid the ongoing FBI corruption investigation into the organization. He has yet to be charged with any crimes, but the FBI raided his Michigan home earlier this year as it hunted for evidence that may be pertinent to the investigation.
Federal prosecutors say Jones, along with some of his former aides, embezzled union funds for their own personal benefit. In one instance, Jones, former UAW district director Vance Pearson and other top UAW officials expensed luxury goods and services to the UAW under the guise of it being part of a work trip to the union’s Region 5 Conference in California, when in reality, they were in California a week before the conference even began. This included a $6,599.87 dinner at LG Prime Steak House (with over $1,400 in wine and $1,760 in Cristal champagne) and a $2,000 purchase at Indian Canyons golf pro shop that included polo shirts, shoes, jackets and hats.
According to the Detroit Free Press, officials accuse Jones and his associates of spending more than $100,000 on golf gear across various instances, and another $60,000 on cigars and “related paraphernalia.”
“Jones had faced internal UAW Article 30 charges that would have removed him from office and from his membership,” UAW spokesman Brian Rothenberg said of Jones’ departure in a prepared statement. “He had previously resigned his office as president.”
Jones was replaced by interim president Rory Gamble after he stepped down this month. Gamble guided the team that successfully negotiated a new national agreement with Ford this year and is hoping to enact reform within the union, saying it was formerly led by a “whole lot of bad actors.”
“We have to be very precise and have zero tolerance going forward in how we manage our union,” he told The Detroit News previously. “Which means we’ve got to be honest with ourselves and recognize that there was a problem, that there’s a need for great change, and we have to show that we can self-govern.”
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Source: Detroit Free Press/The Detroit News
Comments
60 Grand on cigars !!??? Guess that money went up in smoke.
Yeah, we’re supposed to believe this was an isolated incident (or, rather, a whole bunch of isolated incidents). It never ceases to amaze me how union-types look up to the union bosses as unselfish, incorruptible saints while bashing executives for earning their money though education and work.
What exactly do union bosses do besides agitate and leech, only to live the lavish lifestyles they decry in others? What marketable skills do these bosses have besides being able to create angry mobs and point fingers at boogeymen? And then, for doing that, take a healthy slice from the angry mobs’ paychecks? Unions are a cancer in capitalist societies (uh oh, I said that really bad word “capitalist” which no doubt is going to trigger a bunch of union commenters).
Until Union MEMBERs REQUIRE obscenely high Union Dues to be brought down to the level that they are actually needed for (NEGOTIATION, LEGAL FEES), there will ALWAYs be a pile of CASH to steal from. It’s been the American Union Mobster way for decades.
Gary Jones used the gm strike as a smoke screen to further his criminal activities. Over 50 gm members were fired due to him staging a longer strike that was not needed.
3 members died for nothing. All these members should file a federal lawsuit against jones, the uaw and gm.
If I ran GM, Ford & FCA/PSA I’d refuse to meet or negotiate with this group of corrupt thugs. This latest round of corruption is not isolated it’s their legacy…. end the UAW.
I have said GM should end it, be done with the union.
Done !!
Why not, just get it done and start over, give it a try !!
There simply is not enough profit in the US to go around, and a union due is a waist of the employees money.
GM will go bankrupt again, as they go through this, but if they can scrap up enough investors when done, GM will be a better company for it.
Maybe can strike a deal with the workers to own shares then when the workers complain about share holders it will be themselves !!
China is the key to GM success, when it happens GM will need the US union even less.
More opinion.
It’s no wonder that membership is declining and no new union shops/factories. It has been shown again that the top union leadership UAW and FCA were the fox’s in the hen house.. I hope that anyone involved goes away for a long long time..I know this is off topic just look at the NRA leadership same as the union. Shame Shame Shame
How about a stiff fine and prison sentence too? Dirt bags.