Bob King (labor leader)
Encyclopedia
Bob King is an American
lawyer
and labor union
activist and leader. He was elected President of the United Auto Workers
(UAW) on June 15, 2010.
in 1946. His father, William J. King, Sr. was director of industrial relations at Ford Motor Company
. He graduated from University of Detroit Jesuit High School in 1964.
He attended College of the Holy Cross
in Worcester, Massachusetts
, and studied religion and philosophy before transferring to the University of Michigan
. He graduated from Michigan with a bachelor's degree
in political science
in 1968. While in college, he worked during the summer at automobile assembly plants owned by General Motors
and Chrysler
. From 1968 to 1970, King served in the United States Army
in South Korea
.
King was employed full-time by Ford in 1970, taking a position in the Detroit Parts Depot. He became an electrician
's apprentice in 1972. He became a member of UAW Local 600 at that time. He began attending the University of Detroit Law School, graduating with a J.D.
degree in 1973.
King married Moe Fitzsimons, and the couple had five children, of which two were adopted from South Korea.
unions in the UAW. King was elected vice president of Local 600 in 1981, and president of the 17,000-member local in 1984. After winning re-election in 1987, King was named chair of the UAW-Ford Negotiating Committee, which bargained
the company-wide master contract
at Ford Motors. He bargained with Ford alongside future UAW president Stephen Yokich
.
While president of Local 600, King expanded the union's membership into areas outside the automotive industry. In the 1980s, he led Local 600 in organizing 1,000 health care workers. He served as the chair of the UAW constitutional amendments committee at the 1983 and 1986 UAW conventions.
In June 1989, King was elected to the first of what would become three three-year terms as Director of Region 1A, a UAW administrative unit that covered most of Monroe
, Washtenaw
, and Wayne
counties in Michigan. In 1990, he helped co-found and later co-chaired the Labor/Management Council for Economic Renewal, a non-profit organization made up of small businesses and local unions which exchanged information on best business practices. He also pushed a proposal to split Region 1A up into smaller administrative, county-based organizations to foster greater grassroots involvement, but the effort was defeated by local leaders.
King ran for UAW vice president in 1994, but did not win. During the 1995-1997 Detroit newspaper strike, King engaged in acts of civil disobedience
and was arrested three times between 1996 and 1997.
, casino
workers; state, county, and local government employees; and graduate student
teaching and research assistants. Yokich defended King's outreach to these nontraditional constituencies of the UAW. King also established six regional organizing centers to help devolve responsibility for organizing closer to the worksite. By November 2000, he had led organizational drives which added about 50,000 new members to the union. By 2001, more than 22,000 state government workers in Michigan belonged to the UAW, as did some 15,000 graduate student workers. More than 20,000 of the 60,000 new members the UAW organized between 2002 and 2006 worked outside the automotive industry. Under his leadership, the UAW organized another 6,000 new members between 2006 and 2009. But his organizing drives also saw some major setbacks, such as when Nissan workers in Tennessee
rejected UAW representation 2-to-1 in what was seen as a major setback for the union in its Southern
organizing effort. Another loss came at Freightliner in North Carolina, and a major organizing effort at Mercedes-Benz never resulted in an election. The union did make organizing headway among auto parts suppliers, however.
During his tenure at the head of the UAW National Organizing Department, King extensively utilized card check
, employer neutrality agreements, and collective bargaining clauses that provided for card check, employer neutrality, and/or expedited representation elections overseen by a neutral third party in plants newly opened by the employer. The UAW's aggressive use of these types of agreements led to two challenges before the National Labor Relations Board
(NLRB). Workers at two companies organized by the UAW under card-check and neutrality agreements, Metaldyne and Dana Corp.
, sought to have the UAW ousted as the labor representative at their respective plants. The NLRB consolidated the two cases, and in Dana Corp., 351 NLRB No. 28 (September 29, 2007), the Board significantly amended its existing policy so that, if an employer voluntarily recognizes the union a card check agreement, workers do not have to wait the required 45 days before petitioning the NLRB for decertification of the union. The decision was declared highly significant by both right-to-work
advocates and labor unions, even though it only applied to future card check campaigns and did not affect the workers at Dana Corp. or Metaldyne.
King won re-election as vice president in 2002. In addition to his organizing duties, he was also appointed head of the UAW's Competitive Shop/Independents, Parts and Suppliers (IPS) Department, which assisted members and local unions in the auto parts and automotive supply industries.
King was elected to a third term as vice president in 2006. Under UAW rules, vice presidents are appointed to run departments of the union only after they have been re-elected (which prevents candidates for campaigning based on the fact that they will run this department or that one). King was in the running to oversee both the General Motors division and the Ford division, but was appointed by President Gettelfinger to lead the Ford unit. Newly elected Vice President Terry Thurman replaced King as head of the National Organizing Department, and Vice President Jimmy Settles replaced him as head of the IPS Department.
s worth tens of thousands of dollars per employee. A year later, he led the team which renegotiated the union's four-year collective bargaining agreement with Ford. The press called the negotiations "historic" because the company agreed not to close some of its plants, promised to invest in its remaining plants to ensure they will remain open, was permitted to establish a two-tier wage system
(which established a much smaller $14-an-hour wage for new hires), and moved $22 billion in retiree health care obligations to a new union-run voluntary employee beneficiary association
(VEBA). Members of the UAW voted overwhelmingly to ratify the agreement, 79 percent to 21 percent.
With the onset of the automotive industry crisis of 2008–2010, however, King was forced to go back to the bargaining table in an attempt to help save Ford Motor Co. from bankruptcy
. King helped negotiate another wave of buyouts in January 2008. But the total number of workers taking the buyouts were only half the 8,000 workers Ford had hoped for (largely because workers worried they would not find employment in the bad job market). Nonetheless, King had negotiated contracts which had helped Ford cut 40 percent of its workforce since 2005. The UAW agreed to more buyouts in September 2008. In February 2009, King led the UAW team in negotiating a historic agreement which allowed Ford to make up to 50 percent of its required payment into the VEBA using common stock in lieu of cash. The agreement also froze wages, cut or eliminated non-base-wage cash bonuses, eliminated pay for laid-off workers, and required workers to take a two-week unpaid furlough or give up their matching pension contribution.
announced he was a candidate for president of the union, and King ran for re-election on Gettelfinger's slate.
Gettelfinger announced in March 2009 that he would not seek a third term as UAW president, leading some news outlets to declare King one of his possible successors. Shortly thereafter, King began stepping up his criticism of the three largest American automakers. He had particularly harsh words for General Motors, because it took aid from the federal government and yet still closed plants and because it said it would import vehicles from overseas to meet U.S. demand.
As King considered running for the presidency of the UAW, Ford asked for a third round of concessionary negotiations in May 2009. Ford Motor Co. was worried that General Motors and Chrysler had won largers concessions from the UAW, concessions which were not important now but which might give these automakers a competitive advantage in the future. King refused to negotiate immediately, and did not begin talking with Ford executives until August 2009. During these talks, Ford sought changes in work rules, a ban on strikes
during the life of the contract, and the imposition of yet another two-tier wage system for new hires. A tentative agreement was reached on October 13, 2009, that froze wages for entry level workers, limited but did not eliminate the union's right to strike, required Ford to commit to production levels at existing plants, and required Ford to give workers a $1,000 cash bonus in March 2010. But significant opposition to the new agreement broke out among the UAW members at Ford. Despite extensive efforts by King to secure ratification of the deal, UAW members rejected the contract roughly 70 percent to 30 percent. Gettelfinger said the rejection of the contract was a personal reflection of his leadership, and did not reflect on King's leadership or negotiating skills. Gettelfinger then imposed the contract on UAW members by invoking a seldom-used provision of the UAW's constitution.
On December 10, 2009, just a month after the Ford contract was rejected, King announced he would run for the presidency of the UAW. There were some concerns voiced in the press about King's viability as a candidate, since the UAW had lost 40 percent of its membership in the past eight years (18 percent since 2008), and had seen its assets shrink by $69 million (5.8 percent) since 2008. Although the rules of the political caucus that nominated King require union officers to retire after reaching the age of 65, the 63-year-old King ran anyway even though this meant he could serve only a single term.
King was opposed by Gary Walkowicz, a member from King's former Local 600. It was the first time since 1992 that there had been a contest for the presidency of the UAW.
Bob King won the race for President of the UAW on June 15, 2010. The vote was 2,115 to 74, giving King a winning margin of 97 percent of the vote.
One newspaper reporter described King as an effective organizer and a "fiery" public speaker. King said he would pursue an agenda of "equality of gain" under which financially recovered automakers would share their economic gains with workers. The UAW's contracts the Chrysler, Ford, and General Motors all expire in 2011. King also said he would seek to roll back some of the concessions the union had made in the past four years, and engage in extensive organizing to rebuild the union's membership. According to Bernie Ricke, president of Local 600, King is a firm believer in Social Movement Unionism
, a philosophy that argues unions should form and promote broad coalitions to seek greater social and economic justice.
, and the Coalition of Labor Union Women
. He has also served as a national vice president of the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
King is also a committed human rights activist. He led a group of union officials to El Salvador
in 1989 to monitor elections there, and he has participated in protests at the School of the Americas
, a United States Department of Defense
facility at Fort Benning
near Columbus, Georgia
, which many accuse of training Latin American soldiers and officers in techniques later used to commit human rights violations.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
and labor union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
activist and leader. He was elected President of the United Auto Workers
United Auto Workers
The International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America, better known as the United Auto Workers , is a labor union which represents workers in the United States and Puerto Rico, and formerly in Canada. Founded as part of the Congress of Industrial...
(UAW) on June 15, 2010.
Early life
Bob King was born in MichiganMichigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
in 1946. His father, William J. King, Sr. was director of industrial relations at Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
. He graduated from University of Detroit Jesuit High School in 1964.
He attended College of the Holy Cross
College of the Holy Cross
The College of the Holy Cross is an undergraduate Roman Catholic liberal arts college located in Worcester, Massachusetts, USA...
in Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population is 181,045, making it the second largest city in New England after Boston....
, and studied religion and philosophy before transferring to the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
. He graduated from Michigan with a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
in 1968. While in college, he worked during the summer at automobile assembly plants owned by General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
and Chrysler
Chrysler
Chrysler Group LLC is a multinational automaker headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, USA. Chrysler was first organized as the Chrysler Corporation in 1925....
. From 1968 to 1970, King served in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
in South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
.
King was employed full-time by Ford in 1970, taking a position in the Detroit Parts Depot. He became an electrician
Electrician
An electrician is a tradesman specializing in electrical wiring of buildings, stationary machines and related equipment. Electricians may be employed in the installation of new electrical components or the maintenance and repair of existing electrical infrastructure. Electricians may also...
's apprentice in 1972. He became a member of UAW Local 600 at that time. He began attending the University of Detroit Law School, graduating with a J.D.
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
degree in 1973.
King married Moe Fitzsimons, and the couple had five children, of which two were adopted from South Korea.
Union career
Bob King rose steadily and quickly in the leadership of Local 600. Local 600 (which represented workers at the gigantic Ford River Rouge Complex) was once the largest local union in the UAW and one of the largest local unions in the world, and had a long history of being one of the most liberalLiberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
unions in the UAW. King was elected vice president of Local 600 in 1981, and president of the 17,000-member local in 1984. After winning re-election in 1987, King was named chair of the UAW-Ford Negotiating Committee, which bargained
Collective bargaining
Collective bargaining is a process of negotiations between employers and the representatives of a unit of employees aimed at reaching agreements that regulate working conditions...
the company-wide master contract
Master contract
A master contract is a contract reached between parties, in which the parties agree to most of the terms that will govern future transactions or future agreements...
at Ford Motors. He bargained with Ford alongside future UAW president Stephen Yokich
Stephen Yokich
Stephen Phillip Yokich was an American labor union activist who served as President of the United Auto Workers from 1994 to 2002.-Early life and union career:...
.
While president of Local 600, King expanded the union's membership into areas outside the automotive industry. In the 1980s, he led Local 600 in organizing 1,000 health care workers. He served as the chair of the UAW constitutional amendments committee at the 1983 and 1986 UAW conventions.
In June 1989, King was elected to the first of what would become three three-year terms as Director of Region 1A, a UAW administrative unit that covered most of Monroe
Monroe County, Michigan
Monroe County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the 2010 population is 152,021. The largest city and county seat is Monroe. The U.S. Census Bureau defines all of Monroe County as conterminous with the Monroe Metropolitan Area...
, Washtenaw
Washtenaw County, Michigan
Washtenaw County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the population was 344,791. Its county seat is Ann Arbor. The United States Office of Management and Budget defines the county as part of the Detroit–Warren–Flint Combined Statistical Area...
, and Wayne
Wayne County, Michigan
-History:Wayne County was one of the first counties formed when the Northwest Territory was organized. It was named for the American general "Mad Anthony" Wayne. It originally encompassed the entire area of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, as well as small sections that are now part of northern...
counties in Michigan. In 1990, he helped co-found and later co-chaired the Labor/Management Council for Economic Renewal, a non-profit organization made up of small businesses and local unions which exchanged information on best business practices. He also pushed a proposal to split Region 1A up into smaller administrative, county-based organizations to foster greater grassroots involvement, but the effort was defeated by local leaders.
King ran for UAW vice president in 1994, but did not win. During the 1995-1997 Detroit newspaper strike, King engaged in acts of civil disobedience
Civil disobedience
Civil disobedience is the active, professed refusal to obey certain laws, demands, and commands of a government, or of an occupying international power. Civil disobedience is commonly, though not always, defined as being nonviolent resistance. It is one form of civil resistance...
and was arrested three times between 1996 and 1997.
UAW organizing efforts
In November 1997, King was assigned to oversee the union's National Organizing Department, a position created especially for him. UAW members approved making the position an elected vice president in June 1998, and King was elected that year. It was the first new vice presidency created in many years. During his four-year tenure in this latter position, King pushed the UAW to organize retail workers at KmartKmart
Kmart, sometimes styled as "K-Mart," is a chain of discount department stores. The chain acquired Sears in 2005, forming a new corporation under the name Sears Holdings Corporation. The company was founded in 1962 and is the third largest discount store chain in the world, behind Wal-Mart and...
, casino
Casino
In modern English, a casino is a facility which houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. Casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships or other tourist attractions...
workers; state, county, and local government employees; and graduate student
Postgraduate education
Postgraduate education involves learning and studying for degrees or other qualifications for which a first or Bachelor's degree generally is required, and is normally considered to be part of higher education...
teaching and research assistants. Yokich defended King's outreach to these nontraditional constituencies of the UAW. King also established six regional organizing centers to help devolve responsibility for organizing closer to the worksite. By November 2000, he had led organizational drives which added about 50,000 new members to the union. By 2001, more than 22,000 state government workers in Michigan belonged to the UAW, as did some 15,000 graduate student workers. More than 20,000 of the 60,000 new members the UAW organized between 2002 and 2006 worked outside the automotive industry. Under his leadership, the UAW organized another 6,000 new members between 2006 and 2009. But his organizing drives also saw some major setbacks, such as when Nissan workers in Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
rejected UAW representation 2-to-1 in what was seen as a major setback for the union in its Southern
Deep South
The Deep South is a descriptive category of the cultural and geographic subregions in the American South. Historically, it is differentiated from the "Upper South" as being the states which were most dependent on plantation type agriculture during the pre-Civil War period...
organizing effort. Another loss came at Freightliner in North Carolina, and a major organizing effort at Mercedes-Benz never resulted in an election. The union did make organizing headway among auto parts suppliers, however.
During his tenure at the head of the UAW National Organizing Department, King extensively utilized card check
Card check
Card check is a method for American employees to organize into a labor union in which a majority of employees in a bargaining unit sign authorization forms, or "cards," stating they wish to be represented by the union...
, employer neutrality agreements, and collective bargaining clauses that provided for card check, employer neutrality, and/or expedited representation elections overseen by a neutral third party in plants newly opened by the employer. The UAW's aggressive use of these types of agreements led to two challenges before the National Labor Relations Board
National Labor Relations Board
The National Labor Relations Board is an independent agency of the United States government charged with conducting elections for labor union representation and with investigating and remedying unfair labor practices. Unfair labor practices may involve union-related situations or instances of...
(NLRB). Workers at two companies organized by the UAW under card-check and neutrality agreements, Metaldyne and Dana Corp.
Dana Corp.
The Dana Holding Corporation is a supplier of axles, driveshafts, off-highway transmissions, sealing and thermal-management products, and service parts....
, sought to have the UAW ousted as the labor representative at their respective plants. The NLRB consolidated the two cases, and in Dana Corp., 351 NLRB No. 28 (September 29, 2007), the Board significantly amended its existing policy so that, if an employer voluntarily recognizes the union a card check agreement, workers do not have to wait the required 45 days before petitioning the NLRB for decertification of the union. The decision was declared highly significant by both right-to-work
Right-to-work law
Right-to-work laws are statutes enforced in twenty-two U.S. states, mostly in the southern or western U.S., allowed under provisions of the federal Taft–Hartley Act, which prohibit agreements between labor unions and employers that make membership, payment of union dues, or fees a condition of...
advocates and labor unions, even though it only applied to future card check campaigns and did not affect the workers at Dana Corp. or Metaldyne.
King won re-election as vice president in 2002. In addition to his organizing duties, he was also appointed head of the UAW's Competitive Shop/Independents, Parts and Suppliers (IPS) Department, which assisted members and local unions in the auto parts and automotive supply industries.
King was elected to a third term as vice president in 2006. Under UAW rules, vice presidents are appointed to run departments of the union only after they have been re-elected (which prevents candidates for campaigning based on the fact that they will run this department or that one). King was in the running to oversee both the General Motors division and the Ford division, but was appointed by President Gettelfinger to lead the Ford unit. Newly elected Vice President Terry Thurman replaced King as head of the National Organizing Department, and Vice President Jimmy Settles replaced him as head of the IPS Department.
Negotiator with Ford during automotive crisis
King confronted major financial crises at Ford Motor Co. during his leadership of the Ford Department, and negotiated several agreements with the automaker during a three-year period. King adopted a much more conciliatory tone toward Ford in his first public speech as head of the department. In August 2006, he led negotiations which led to Ford offering its unionized hourly employees buyoutBuyout
A buyout, in finance, is an investment transaction by which the ownership equity of a company, or a majority share of the stock of the company is acquired. The acquiror thereby "buys out" control of the target company....
s worth tens of thousands of dollars per employee. A year later, he led the team which renegotiated the union's four-year collective bargaining agreement with Ford. The press called the negotiations "historic" because the company agreed not to close some of its plants, promised to invest in its remaining plants to ensure they will remain open, was permitted to establish a two-tier wage system
Two-tier system
A two-tier system is a type of payroll system in which one group of workers receives lower wages and/or employee benefits than another.The two-tier system of wages is usually established for one of three reasons: 1) The employer wishes to better compensate more senior, ostensibly more experienced...
(which established a much smaller $14-an-hour wage for new hires), and moved $22 billion in retiree health care obligations to a new union-run voluntary employee beneficiary association
Voluntary Employee Beneficiary Association
A voluntary employees' beneficiary association is a form of trust fund permitted under American tax law whose sole purpose must be to provide employee benefits...
(VEBA). Members of the UAW voted overwhelmingly to ratify the agreement, 79 percent to 21 percent.
With the onset of the automotive industry crisis of 2008–2010, however, King was forced to go back to the bargaining table in an attempt to help save Ford Motor Co. from bankruptcy
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
. King helped negotiate another wave of buyouts in January 2008. But the total number of workers taking the buyouts were only half the 8,000 workers Ford had hoped for (largely because workers worried they would not find employment in the bad job market). Nonetheless, King had negotiated contracts which had helped Ford cut 40 percent of its workforce since 2005. The UAW agreed to more buyouts in September 2008. In February 2009, King led the UAW team in negotiating a historic agreement which allowed Ford to make up to 50 percent of its required payment into the VEBA using common stock in lieu of cash. The agreement also froze wages, cut or eliminated non-base-wage cash bonuses, eliminated pay for laid-off workers, and required workers to take a two-week unpaid furlough or give up their matching pension contribution.
Run for president of the UAW
In the mid-1980s, King was being called one of the "bright young hopes for the future" and a "militant ... up-and comer" by the press. For expanding the union's membership base outside the automotive industry, he was called a "leader to watch in the coming decade", and frequently mentioned as a possible successor to UAW President Stephen Yokich. King appeared to be setting up for a run in 2002 when he began criticizing retiring UAW President Stephen Yokich for being too friendly with employers and creating a strong union bureaucracy rather than a strong union. But in November 2001, Ron GettelfingerRon Gettelfinger
Ronald A. Gettelfinger was the president of the United Auto Workers from 2002 to 2010.Gettelfinger started his union involvement in 1964 in Louisville, Kentucky, at the Louisville Assembly Plant run by Ford Motor Company while working as a chassis line repairman...
announced he was a candidate for president of the union, and King ran for re-election on Gettelfinger's slate.
Gettelfinger announced in March 2009 that he would not seek a third term as UAW president, leading some news outlets to declare King one of his possible successors. Shortly thereafter, King began stepping up his criticism of the three largest American automakers. He had particularly harsh words for General Motors, because it took aid from the federal government and yet still closed plants and because it said it would import vehicles from overseas to meet U.S. demand.
As King considered running for the presidency of the UAW, Ford asked for a third round of concessionary negotiations in May 2009. Ford Motor Co. was worried that General Motors and Chrysler had won largers concessions from the UAW, concessions which were not important now but which might give these automakers a competitive advantage in the future. King refused to negotiate immediately, and did not begin talking with Ford executives until August 2009. During these talks, Ford sought changes in work rules, a ban on strikes
Strike action
Strike action, also called labour strike, on strike, greve , or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became important during the industrial revolution, when mass labour became...
during the life of the contract, and the imposition of yet another two-tier wage system for new hires. A tentative agreement was reached on October 13, 2009, that froze wages for entry level workers, limited but did not eliminate the union's right to strike, required Ford to commit to production levels at existing plants, and required Ford to give workers a $1,000 cash bonus in March 2010. But significant opposition to the new agreement broke out among the UAW members at Ford. Despite extensive efforts by King to secure ratification of the deal, UAW members rejected the contract roughly 70 percent to 30 percent. Gettelfinger said the rejection of the contract was a personal reflection of his leadership, and did not reflect on King's leadership or negotiating skills. Gettelfinger then imposed the contract on UAW members by invoking a seldom-used provision of the UAW's constitution.
On December 10, 2009, just a month after the Ford contract was rejected, King announced he would run for the presidency of the UAW. There were some concerns voiced in the press about King's viability as a candidate, since the UAW had lost 40 percent of its membership in the past eight years (18 percent since 2008), and had seen its assets shrink by $69 million (5.8 percent) since 2008. Although the rules of the political caucus that nominated King require union officers to retire after reaching the age of 65, the 63-year-old King ran anyway even though this meant he could serve only a single term.
King was opposed by Gary Walkowicz, a member from King's former Local 600. It was the first time since 1992 that there had been a contest for the presidency of the UAW.
Bob King won the race for President of the UAW on June 15, 2010. The vote was 2,115 to 74, giving King a winning margin of 97 percent of the vote.
One newspaper reporter described King as an effective organizer and a "fiery" public speaker. King said he would pursue an agenda of "equality of gain" under which financially recovered automakers would share their economic gains with workers. The UAW's contracts the Chrysler, Ford, and General Motors all expire in 2011. King also said he would seek to roll back some of the concessions the union had made in the past four years, and engage in extensive organizing to rebuild the union's membership. According to Bernie Ricke, president of Local 600, King is a firm believer in Social Movement Unionism
Social Movement Unionism
Social Movement Unionism is a trend of theory and practice in contemporary trade unionism. Strongly associated with the labour movements of developing countries, Social Movement Unionism is distinct from many other models of trade unionism because it concerns itself with more than organising...
, a philosophy that argues unions should form and promote broad coalitions to seek greater social and economic justice.
Other positions
King is a member of the NAACP, the Democratic PartyDemocratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, and the Coalition of Labor Union Women
Coalition of Labor Union Women
The Coalition of Labor Union Women is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization of trade union women affiliated with the AFL-CIO.CLUW has four goals:*Promoting affirmative action in the workplace*Strengthening the role of women in unions...
. He has also served as a national vice president of the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
King is also a committed human rights activist. He led a group of union officials to El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
in 1989 to monitor elections there, and he has participated in protests at the School of the Americas
Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation
The Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation , formerly the United States Army School of the Americas is a United States Department of Defense educational and training facility at Fort Benning near Columbus, Georgia in the United States...
, a United States Department of Defense
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
facility at Fort Benning
Fort Benning
Fort Benning is a United States Army post located southeast of the city of Columbus in Muscogee and Chattahoochee counties in Georgia and Russell County, Alabama...
near Columbus, Georgia
Columbus, Georgia
Columbus is a city in and the county seat of Muscogee County, Georgia, United States, with which it is consolidated. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 189,885. It is the principal city of the Columbus, Georgia metropolitan area, which, in 2009, had an estimated population of 292,795...
, which many accuse of training Latin American soldiers and officers in techniques later used to commit human rights violations.