New union head takes oath and readies for a fight

DETROIT — Gary Jones took the oath of office Thursday as the new president of the UAW, steeling members for what he called a fight for both the future of the union and the American middle class.

Jones, 60, told members at the 37th Constitutional Convention in Detroit that he was honored and reminded members of the UAW’s core values.

“When faced with bridges, we will remember standing on the overpass on Miller Road, Gate 4, in the Ford River Rouge complex,” Jones said to cheers, citing a historic confrontation in 1937.

“If we are told to sit down, we will quietly remind them, as we pull on our white shirts, of how we once sat for a spell in Flint and in doing so, changed the world with the strength of our solidarity,” again referencing a seminal moment in UAW and labor history.

Jones succeeds Dennis Williams, who retires this month. He credited Williams with ending “unfair tier wage” systems and turning the union’s books from “red to black.”

Jones, who’s been a UAW member since 1975, told delegates that the union faces challenges such as right-to-work laws in some states, including Michigan, that prohibit agreements requiring union membership to work in a particular organization. In addition, Jones said, “social unrest” is threatening the middle class.

“We’re in for a battle,” said Jones. “A battle for the UAW and the existence of the middle class. But I’m here to fight for you. We will win!”

UAW caucus members have described Jones, who is an accountant, as a steady hand who can effectively navigate the organization through times of change and uncertainty.

The UAW is been caught up in a scandal involving UAW leaders and Fiat Chrysler officials accused of redirecting $4.5 million designated for training Fiat Chrysler workers to pay for personal items including exotic sports cars, luggage and expensive pens.

In addition to Jones, other elected officers include Ray Curry as secretary-treasurer, and vice presidents Cindy Estrada, Rory Gamble and Terry Dittes.

Jones was a regional director who oversaw 17 states, including Missouri, Texas and Louisiana, and the West Coast.

He started with the UAW at the Ford plant in Broken Arrow, Okla. More recently, Jones has served as the union’s top non-elected finance person for nearly a decade.