FILE PHOTO: United Auto Workers (UAW) union President Gary Jones addresses UAW delegates at the ‘Special Convention on Collective Bargaining’ in Detroit, Michigan, U.S. March 13, 2019. REUTERS/Rebecca Cook/File Photo
DETROIT (Reuters) – The president of the United Auto Workers union, who has been linked to an ongoing corruption probe by U.S. federal officials, has taken a leave of absence, the union said on Saturday in a statement.
Gary Jones’ leave, which followed a vote by the union’s executive board, is effective beginning Sunday, the UAW said. He will be replaced on an acting basis by Rory Gamble, who recently led the team that negotiated a new labor deal with Ford Motor Co(F.N), the union said.
“The UAW is fighting tooth and nail to ensure our members have a brighter future. I do not want anything to distract from the mission. I want to do what’s best for the members of this great union,” Jones said in the statement, which did not address why he was taking the leave.
Reporting by Ben Klayman; Editing by Bernadette Baum