Word: kingly
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...King, 63, has served as one of Gettelfinger's, top lieutenants in recent years and handled several rounds of delicate negotiations with the Ford Motor Co. as the union tried to navigate the big downturn in the U.S. auto industry and the changes it forced in union contracts. Gettelfinger, 65, will relinquish the presidency at the UAW's next convention in June. (See the best business deals...
...King is viewed favorably both by UAW leadership and by outsiders. "Ron is very direct. Bob is a bit more cerebral," says Ford Motor Co. Chairman William Clay Ford Jr., who has dealt extensively with both union leaders. Labor experts including Harley Shaiken, a University of California-Berkeley labor-relations professor, say King, who completed an electrician's apprenticeship while working at Ford in the early 1970s and simultaneously finished a law degree at the University of Detroit, is the logical choice to succeed Gettlefinger...
Maybe so, but the strange thing is that UAW members don't get to formally express their feelings about King. For more than 60 years, the UAW's top leadership has blocked attempts to permit union members to vote directly for the union presidency. Rather, as the UAW's new designated nominee, King has the support of the union executive board, which has picked the UAW presidents since the late 1940s through series of closed caucuses. (See the worst business deals...
...might not change the outcome. But it would force the leadership to become more accountable," he says. As it now stands, the UAW presidency is basically decided by the vote of a 13-member board as well as certain union officers who privately caucus - staff members are excluded. King waged a savvy campaign for the presidency, promising to address the priorities of each board member, according to sources familiar with the campaign. (See the 50 worst cars of all time...
Largely because of the auto industry crisis, Gettelfinger now has complete access to top executives at all three of Detroit's automakers. King will enjoy the same access, union insiders predicted...