Rory Gamble tapped to lead UAW

First black president in Union’s history

Detroit – The United Auto Workers (UAW) International Executive Board has unanimously appointed Rory Gamble president of the union. He is the first black president in the history of the UAW.

Gamble, who had been serving as vice president, took the reigns as acting president when former president Gary Jones resigned last month after being implicated in a federal corruption probe.

He will fill the remainder of Jones’ term as president until June 2022. Gamble, 64, served 12 years as director of Region 1A before being elected vice president. He was appointed to head the Ford Department in 2018.

“This is an honor to complete my career and serve the members of this great union in this capacity,” Gamble said. “This wasn’t planned and it is a tall order. There are difficult decisions that will need to be made in the coming months for our members. But I promise one thing, when I retire and turn over this office, we will deliver a clean union on solid footing.”

In his initial three weeks, Gamble moved swiftly as acting president, coalescing the board around a series of ethics reforms, including appointing an outside Chief Ethics Office; an internal ombudsman; policy changes; a clawback provision to recover misspent money; new financial controls including auditing and identifying and implementing stronger financial management practices.

“Together, our members, local leaders and our Board have an opportunity to set the UAW on a course for generations,” said Gamble. “There are many opportunities through new technology; new jobs; new organizing drives and collective bargaining gains to lift up our families, our communities and the middle class. We are in this together as we work through these changes and challenges.

The board is expected to fill Gamble’s vice president vacancy in January.