Posted by
alfredlester on Wednesday, June 16, 2010 8:24:18 PM
DETROIT (AFP) – United Auto Workers (UAW) members elected a new president Wednesday to replace long-time stalwart Ron Gettelfinger at a daunting time for the union and the struggling US auto industry.
At a 75th anniversary convention in Detroit, delegates voted by an overwhelming 2,115 to 75 margin in favor of veteran board member Bob King to replace 65-year-old Gettelfinger, who has served two four-year terms.
King easily overcame the opposition of Gary Walkowicz, an outsider who stepped forward last week in an effort to provoke a debate over the union&&9;s future as membership dwindles amid major restructuring and industry bailouts.
Attendees said they expected King, who has handled some of the union&&9;s most complex bargaining problems in recent years, to be tougher than Gettelfinger on issues such as the drift of jobs to Mexico.
The once-mighty union has seen a steady erosion of its public image, a loosened grip on bargaining power, and now its very future is in jeopardy.
It lobbied for a US government bailout of the troubled industry in 2008 and 2009, but in exchange was forced to accept wage cuts, reduced health care benefits and squeezed pensions.
Faced with those unwanted cuts, autoworkers have shown their discontent by dropping out No teletrack payday loans. Union membership which peaked at 1.5 million in 1979 continues to drop and has fallen to fewer than 355,000 today.
Gettelfinger has defended the concessions by saying they saved General Motors, Ford and Chrysler, which are now poised to add jobs as the economy recovers.
The union will expect to recover some of the concessions it made during the lean times, but it could be hamstrung by a no-strike clause agreed in return for federal aid for GM and Chrysler.
Gettelfinger, an iconic figure in union circles recognizable by his carefully trimmed mustache, admitted this week the economic crisis had left the union in real difficulty.
"As a result, we found ourselves in a fight for the very survival of our union and one of our country&&9;s most important industries," the departing union boss said.
Born out of the strife in the US auto industry during the 1930s, the UAW long had a reputation for delivering fat contracts.
But today it is staring at its own fading political power after losing 76,000 members in 2009 alone to leave it with only 355,000.
End of an era as US auto union elects Gettelfinger successor