The UAW president resigns after the board moves for deportation

Gary Jones, the president of the UAW who took leave earlier this month, abruptly resigned Wednesday after the union's chief executive moved to remove him from that job and expel him from the union. Jones has been linked to a corruption scandal that has resulted in 13 people being criminally charged – but not (yet) Jones himself.

The news of Jones' resignation came through his lawyer, Bruce Maffeo. Via The Detroit News :

"After much discussion with family and friends, Gary has chosen to resign his position as UAW president and resigns immediately," said Jones' lawyer, Bruce Maffeo, to The News on Wednesday

by its members and their families. "

His attorney also made this statement to a TV reporter:

Jones had been president since June 2018, taking office several months after The federal investigation of the union began. Prosecutors and law enforcement have described activity by the association as a subpoena, where union funds pay for extravagant luxury. (Many with terrible taste .)

Jones is not charged, but his home was attacked in August, when some golf clubs and $ 30,000 in cash were seized. Jones's resignation came after he and another UAW official, Vance Pearson, were sacked by the union's chief executive.

UAW's partial statement on these charges:

The Article 30 charges, signed by the entire International Executive Board, allege that Gary Jones and Vance Pearson directed the filing of false, misleading and inaccurate spending entries to the UAW Accounting Department and further concealed the true the information on these expenses, in violation of the UAW Code of Ethics Practice and applicable federal employment law.

said UAW Acting President Rory Gamble. "We are committed by the UAW to take all necessary steps, including continuing to implement ethical reforms and greater financial control to prevent this type of accusation from ever happening again."

Jones' resignation was not entirely unexpected, but the timing of it was something, with the news interrupted within an hour after the union issued its opinion on the Article 30 charges. Jones had campaigns for the chosen job on an agenda.

America's auto workers deserve better than UAW.