DETROIT (Reuters) - The president of the United Auto Workers union, who has been linked here 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 of absence, which follows a vote by the executive board, will be effective beginning Sunday, the UAW said. He will be replaced on an acting basis by Rory Gamble, who recently led the team here 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 give a reason for his decision.
UAW spokesman Brian Rothenberg declined to comment on the matter. An attorney for Jones, who has not been charged with any wrongdoing, could not immediately be reached for comment.
The FBI has been conducting a wide-ranging investigation into illegal payoffs to UAW officials by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCHA.MI), and the union had hoped to put the federal probe behind it by electing Jones, a former regional director for the union, as president in 2018.
Jones will be paid while on leave, according to a person familiar with the process who asked not to be identified.
He had been chosen as president as he seemed removed from the scandal, sources have said, but in late August,
