UAW Vice President Joe Ashton was nominated to the General Motors' Board of Directors.
Change is in the air at General Motors as the company’s board will likely have a top official from the United Auto Workers for the first time in history. If elected, it will be the second union-influenced nominee on the board.
UAW Vice President Joe Ashton has been nominated to fill a seat on the company’s board of directors, GM said in a proxy statement for its 2014 annual meeting of stockholders with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
The UAW Retiree Medical Benefits Trust, also known as the VEBA, put Ashton on the ballot. He is scheduled to give up his post as head of the UAW’s GM Department in June following the UAW constitutional convention. If elected, Ashton will begin his board term in August.
The first VEBA-nominated board member was Steve Girsky, formerly GM vice chairman. He has served as a director since the new company began operations in July 2009. GM’s board nominated him to remain a director.
“Joe brings a wealth of knowledge from his work across many industries, especially his deep understanding how labor strategy can contribute to a company’s success,” said GM Chairman Tim Solso.
“Steve has 25 years of experience in the automotive sector and has served the GM board well. Because of his extensive experience with the company, his expertise will continue to be invaluable to GM,” he added.
The UAW has asked for a seat on the GM board for several years, but up until now the request has always been tabled during contract negotiations. However, the VEBA now has a major stake in GM.
Ashton’s appointment also raises the possibility that another UAW officer or former officer could be nominated to serve on the board of directors of the Ford Motor Co. to bolster the ties between the company and the union.
A nomination for UAW representative to the Fiat Chrysler Automobile Co. board, however, is more of a stretch since FCA recently bought out the Chrysler VEBA’s ownership share for several billion dollars after a contentious court fight and lengthy negotiations.
Ashton and Girsky will stand for election at GM’s Annual Meeting of Stockholders, which will be held on Tuesday, June 10, at 9:30 a.m. EDT at GM’s Global Headquarters in the Renaissance Center in Detroit.
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Ashton, who joined the UAW in 1969, has been a member of the UAW International staff since 1986, serving in a variety of leadership roles. Active in labor and civic affairs, he is executive vice president of the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO Executive Council, executive vice president of the New Jersey AFL-CIO and a former director of the Western New York Federal Reserve Bank.
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From March 2010 to January 2014, Girsky served as GM Vice Chairman and was responsible for global corporate strategy, new business development, global product planning and program management, global connected consumer/OnStar and GM Ventures LLC and global research and development. He also served as Chairman of the Adam Opel AG Supervisory Board. Girsky also oversaw Global Purchasing and Supply Chain from 2011 to 2013.
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Girsky is currently serving as Chairman of the Focus: HOPE Capital Campaign and is a member of the Downtown Detroit Partnership Board.
The election of the board’s slate of nominees would bring GM’s Board of Directors to 12 members, 10 of whom are non-employee directors.