• News
  • Guides
  • Reviews
  • Media
  • About
  • News
  • Guides
  • Reviews
  • Media
  • About
Sign up Now (For Free)

Sign up for our newsletter and receive the latest automotive news in your inbox!

Invalid email address
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Thanks for subscribing!
News
Read Now
  • All News
  • Automakers
  • Automobiles
  • Auto Shows
  • Business
  • EVs & Environment
  • Guides
  • Lawsuits/Legal
  • Regulatory
  • Ride-Sharing
  • Safety & Recalls
  • Technology
Recent
  • Toyota is No. 3 — Third Automaker to Pass EV Tax Credit Threshold
  • Ford Gains Ground on Strong June Sales, Up 31.5% YOY
  • Q&A: Cadillac Lyriq Exterior Design Manager Josh Thurber
  • After 18% Sales Slide, Tesla No Longer World’s Best-Selling EV Brand
  • Get Updated on Cars, EVs and More with the Headlight News Podcast
  • Founder of Spartan Diesel Technologies Faces a Year in Jail for Selling Diesel Defeat Devices
  • What Costs More: New Car or Rent? The $1K a Month Car Payment Hit’s New Highs
  • The Rearview Mirror: The End of the Road for Route 66
  • Here We Go Again: Automakers Report June Sales Decline
  • Recession or Not, U.S. Car Market is in For a Big Boom
Editor’s Choice
    Reviews
    Read Now
    • All Reviews
    • Classic Cars
    • Concept Cars
    • Convertibles
    • Coupes
    • Crossovers/CUVs
    • Diesel
    • Hot hatches
    • Hybrids
    • Luxury Vehicles
    • Minivans
    • Muscle Cars
    • Pickups
    • Sedans
    • Sports Cars
    • Super Cars
    • SUVs
    Recent Reviews
    • A Week With: 2022 Lexus NX 350h
    • A Week With: 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe Overland
    • A Week With: 2022 Volkswagen Tiguan SE R-Line Black
    • First Drive: 2023 Cadillac Lyriq
    • First Drive: 2022 Ford Bronco Everglades Edition
    • A Week With: 2022 Mazda3 2.5 S AWD Hatchback
    • First Drive: 2023 Honda HR-V
    • First Drive: 2022 Ford Bronco Raptor
    • A Week With: 2022 GMC Terrain AT4 AWD
    • A Week With: 2022 Cadillac Escalade Sport
    Editor’s Choice
      Guides
      Car Warranty
      • Endurance Warranty Reviews
      • BMW Extended Warranty
      • Extended Warranty For Cars Over 100k Miles
      • Extended Car Warranty Cost
      • Subaru Extended Warranty
      • CarShield Reviews
      • CarShield Cost
      • Aftermarket Car Warranty
      • CARCHEX Warranty Reviews
      • Reputable Extended Car Warranty Companies
      • Used Car Warranty Companies
      • Best Car Warranty
      • Is CarShield A Scam?
      • Mercedes Extended Warranty
      • CarShield Plans
      Insurance
      • How To Identify A Car Insurance Company
      • Geico Mechanical Breakdown Insurance
      • How Far Back Does A Car Insurance Company Look
      • Mechanical Breakdown Insurance For Used Cars
      • State Farm Mechanical Breakdown Insurance
      • Mechanical Breakdown Insurance From Progressive
      • Dollar A Day Insurance
      • Auto Insurance For SSI Recipients
      • Car Insurance Rates After A Suspended License
      • Auto Insurance For Salvage Vehicles
      • Average Cost of Dodge Ram 1500 Car Insurance
      • Car Insurance Florida
      • Full Coverage Auto Insurance
      • GrubHub Insurance
      • Amazon Delivery Auto Insurance
      Shipping
      • Car Shipping Companies
      • uShip Reviews
      • Auto Shipping From California To Hawaii
      • Montway Auto Transport Reviews
      • Cheap Car Shipping
      • Easy Auto Ship Reviews
      • Auto Shipping Miami
      • Auto Shipping To Alaska
      • Car Shipping Cost
      • Auto Shipping Hawaii
      • Auto Shipping Puerto Rico
      • Sherpa Auto Transport Reviews
      • Auto Shipping Atlanta
      • Auto Shipping Boston
      • Auto Shipping. Chicago
      About
      • About Us
      • Contact Us
      • Terms of Use
      • Privacy Policy
      • Affiliate Disclosure
      • Sitemap
      TheDetroitBureau.com

      More than just “another” place to find news, reviews, spy shots, commentary, features, and guides about the auto industry. TheDetroitBureau doesn’t stop with the press releases or confuse a few lines of opinion with insightful, in-depth reporting.

      Contact Us

      Like what you see? Have some ideas for making The Detroit Bureau.com even better? Let us know, we’d love to hear your voice.

        Media
        Listen Now
        • Headlight News: All Episodes
        More from TheDetroitBureau
        • Guides
        • Latest News
        • Auto Reviews
        • Podcasts
        Headlight News

        TheDetroitBureau.com’s Headlight News offers a look at the past week’s top automotive news stories, as well as what’s coming up in the week ahead. Check out the week’s top story and our latest review…along with a dive into the past with this week in automotive history.

        home > news > Automakers > UAW Consent Decree Clears Path for Referendum

        UAW Consent Decree Clears Path for Referendum

        Agreement could change make up of executive board.

        Michael Strong
        Michael Strong , Managing Editor
        Feb. 01, 2021
        UAW President Rory Gamble, left, and the U.S. Attorney Matthew Schneider worked on instituting change at the union.

        Members of the United Auto Workers could vote by September whether to amend the UAW’s constitution to allow a direct vote for top officers under the terms of a consent decree approved by a federal judge in Detroit.

        The 30-page decree, issued Friday, gives the union 30 days but no more than 60 days to select a monitor and an adjudication officer to supervise the union’s internal elections and finances as well as the conduct of its officers and representatives for the next six years.

        Once the monitor and the adjudication officer are in place, the union will have six months to hold the referendum on whether to amend the constitution, according to the consent decree. The monitor, with help of U.S. Depart of Labor’s Office of Labor Management Standards, will have the responsibility for preparing the language of referendum question, and setting up the rules under which it is conducted, according to the consent decree.

        (Stellantis pleads guilty, agrees to $30M fine in UAW corruption probe.)

        The decree also gives the monitor and the Labor Department the right to review the results and order it re-run if there are complaints about the conduct of the vote.

        All of the UAW’s top officers, including GM VP Terry Dittes, came from the Administration Caucus.

        If the direct election system is approved by the referendum, it will be implemented shortly after the union constitution is officially amended at the UAW’s next regularly scheduled constitutional convention in June of 2022, the decree states.

        No member of the current UAW executive board has come out in favor of the change to direct vote and none are expected to either since the they were all selected by the delegate system that effectively choked off open competition for top union offices for nearly 30 years. The Administration Caucus also used support for favored candidates in local union races for delegates as well as entertainment and intimidation to maintain and perpetuate its control.

        Recent delegate-only elections to fill open seats on the UAW executive all have been won handily by Administration Caucus loyalists, who used the current system to brush aside any challengers.

        The consent decree, however, does attempt to place some limits on the “Administration Caucus,” which has dominated the UAW’s internal politics and was in complete control during the past 10 years when federal investigators found the union was riddled with corrupt practices that severely damaged its reputation and undercut its authority and credibility.

        “The parties agree that it is prohibited from using union assets or using union employees’ time for use in the internal election of any candidate for office in the UAW or its constituent entities. No monies held or deposited in union-designated accounts for charitable purposes may be used to promote the candidacy of any individual for elective office,” the decree said.

        Union officials, such as UAW VP Cindy Estrada, could face new competition in the next election.

        Appointed union officials were required to donate part of their salaries to so-called “Flower Funds,” which were used to bolster the power of Administration Caucus during key election campaigns.

        (UAW strikes deal with Feds to remain independent.)

        The decree also states the “Monitor will ensure that any contributions from any member, employee, or officer of the constituent entities in support of candidates or slates of candidates for union office are collected on a fully voluntary basis.”

        The monitor also will have the authority to discipline union officers or officials who violate its rules. The order signed by Judge David Lawson also relieves the UAW of potential criminal and civil liabilities.

        “The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan agrees that it will not file any criminal charges against the UAW related to any conduct related to the administration of the chargebacks for UAW employees working at a joint training center,” the order implementing the decree signed by Lawson.

        Gamble has tried to manage the amount of change the union will be subject to, open to some things while looking keep the union free of federal supervision.

        For years, the union had covered the salaries of staff members assigned to so-called joint activities with money “chargebacks” from Fiat Chrysler, General Motors and Ford. The UAW maintained the chargebacks were allowed, but the U.S. attorney said they were not.

        In addition, the system had been blatantly abused by union officials who charged the cost for items such as monthlong holidays at expensive resorts in Southern California.

        In all, 11 union officers or officials have been convicted of federal crimes connected to the scandal, such as conspiracy, theft of union funds, mail fraud and violations of federal labor. The widow of a 12th UAW officer also pleaded guilty to federal criminal charges and three executives of Fiat Chrysler also have been convicted of violations of federal labor law for bribing union officials.

        (UAW, Justice Department working on possible changes at union.)

        Fiat Chrysler U.S. LLC also pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate federal labor law and agreed to pay $30 million fine.

        Recently Published
        2023 Toyota bZ4X XLE FWD driving

        Toyota is No. 3 — Third Automaker to Pass EV Tax Credit Threshold

        Yesterday
        2022 Ford F-150 Tremor - front 3-4

        Ford Gains Ground on Strong June Sales, Up 31.5% YOY

        Yesterday

        Q&A: Cadillac Lyriq Exterior Design Manager Josh Thurber

        Yesterday

        Leave a Reply Cancel reply

        Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

        Share this article:
        © The Detroit Bureau 2022
        • Guides
        • Privacy Policy
        • Terms of Use
        • Affiliate Disclosure
        • Contact Us
        • Sitemap
        Follow Us: