UAW Vice President Gerald Kariem, the key liaison to Ford Motor Co. for the labor union, announced Tuesday that he will end his term early and retire next month.
He plans to serve in his role through June 30. An appointment will be made to fulfill the balance of his term, which ends in June 2022.
Kariem, 65, of Saginaw stepped into the role as director of the UAW Ford Department in January 2020 after now-UAW President Rory Gamble suddenly was asked to accept a promotion amid scandal involving then-President Gary Jones and others.
Kariem, the son of a foundry worker, worked on the assembly line at age 20. He built steering column housings at Saginaw Steering Gear in 1976. He is widely respected by the rank-and-file who have said they appreciate his long history with the union.
He is also known for making frequent worksite visits and had a highly visible presence on the picket line during the UAW strike on General Motors in 2019.
Since ascending to VP, he has handled daily labor issues and negotiations with the largest employer of UAW members in the industry.
He worked with Ford to implement COVID-19 safety protocols for UAW members in the factories; has offered guidance and support during the manufacturing cutbacks triggered by a semiconductor shortage; engaged in ongoing discussions related to technology changes in the industry and implemented the 2019 collective bargaining contract.
Kariem notified staff and his board on Tuesday afternoon. He said the decision was long in the making.
“I had intended to retire at 65,” Kariem said in prepared remarks. “But it was important to get our Ford members through this pandemic and make sure we had solid footing for our membership before I retired. I’m proud of the work we have done implementing the 2019 labor agreement, steering through this pandemic and the day-to-day challenges it presented, and now this worldwide launch of the F-150 Lightning. The time is right to pass the torch.”
Ford wishes him “the very best,” John Savona, Ford vice president of manufacturing and labor, said Tuesday, “We will miss working with him.”
The UAW has a long tradition of retirement at age 65, a UAW news release said.
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Kariem said he is looking forward to spending more time with his family but will also remain involved in nonprofit community work.
“It’s part of our calling,” he said. “This is a new chapter and I will always be so proud of my UAW family. We faced enormous challenges together and today, we are stronger for it. It has truly been a blessing, and I thank God for the opportunity to serve.”
Kariem and his wife, Pat, have been married for 42 years and have a son, a daughter and four grandchildren.
In December, Ford announced the retirement of Gary Johnson, a chief manufacturing and labor affairs officer praised by union leaders for a negotiating style credited with helping avert strikes during contract talks in the U.S. in 2019 and Canada in 2020.
These are times of considerable transition for Ford and the UAW.
Kariem was unanimously elected by the UAW International Board on Jan. 16, 2020; Gamble had vacated the Ford position when he was elected president on Dec. 5, 2019.
Jones, who had his house raided by the FBI and IRS, had resigned abruptly and has since pleaded guilty to corruption.
Earlier this month, a federal judge approved an independent monitor for the UAW after the union negotiated with the U.S. attorney in Detroit. Fifteen people, including both former UAW officials and Fiat Chrysler executives, have been convicted in the long-running scandal. FCA, which merged with Peugeot maker PSA Group this year to form Stellantis, pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge and agreed to pay $30 million for its role.
Until the union was rocked by the unexpected leadership shakeup, Kariem had been elected by delegates to his third term in June 2018 as director of UAW Region 1D, which represents a professionally diverse group of 48,000 members in 72 Michigan counties spanning the Upper Peninsula and segments of the Lower Peninsula.
“During his tenure for nearly a decade as a member of the UAW International Executive Board, and at the helm of one of the most diverse regions in the union, Kariem skillfully managed the merger between Regions 1C and 1D,” the UAW said.
The day he was promoted to VP, Kariem was stunned by the “huge responsibility.”
“I don’t take it lightly,” Kariem told the Free Press at the time. “I’m grateful, very grateful. This is beyond my wildest dreams. We’ll take it one day at a time and do the best we can every day. We owe that to members on the line.”
Over the last decade, Kariem (pronounced ka-REEM) has been the point man for UAW members working in aerospace, automotive, higher education and city and state government. His statewide presence landed him a role on Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s transition team.
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Replacing the longtime leader won’t be easy.
“Vice President Kariem has served with distinction and leaves the UAW at a point when it is emerging from difficult ethical challenges. His departure invites pivoting for the future leadership of the UAW,” said Marick Masters, a business professor at Wayne State University.
“In picking its next set of leaders, the UAW needs to not only be mindful of these challenges but also the tremendous difficulties and opportunities posed by the technological transformation to electrification,” Masters told the Free Press. “As the industrial landscape transforms with profound implications for change in the nature and distribution of work in the supply chain, the UAW will need imaginative and bold leadership to accelerate its organizing program, which is critical to its future strength.”
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Contact Phoebe Wall Howard at 313-222-6512 orphoward@freepress.com.Follow her on Twitter@phoebesaid. Read more on Ford and sign up for our autos newsletter.