Ohio UAW director accused of harassment resigns, avoiding union trial
2020/8/5
©Detroit Free Press
UAW headquarters, also known as Solidarity House, on July 20, 2017, in Detroit. - Junfu Han/Detroit Free Press/TNS
A UAW regional director representing union members in Ohio and Indiana who had faced a possible union trial over harassment claims is resigning.
The news of Region 2B Director Rich Rankin’s resignation, which was effective immediately, as both regional director and a UAW employee was announced in a joint statement from the UAW and Rankin Tuesday afternoon. The union said it was withdrawing with prejudice the union charges under Article 30 of the UAW constitution, and Rankin did not admit wrongdoing.
“Director Rankin’s resignation was a personal decision and does not reflect an admission of any kind. Director Rankin is proud of the work that he has performed advocating for workplace rights of men and women in Region 2B over two decades in various UAW leadership positions. No Article 30 hearing will be held,” according to the statement sent by UAW spokesman Brian Rothenberg.
Rankin, who had a gross salary of $179,430, according to a recent Labor Department filing, had previously been outspoken in his defense.
“I adamantly deny the baseless allegations of workplace harassment. I cooperated fully with the internal investigation conducted by the legal counsel hired the UAW. I have always supported the rights of workers to be free from workplace harassment. I am shocked and dismayed that the UAW Executive Board has decided to pursue Article 30 charges based upon a vague and unsubstantiated lawyer’s report accusing me of conduct that I did not commit,” he said previously in a statement.
The union said in March that the UAW International Executive Board was moving forward with Article 30 charges against Rankin — the only member of the board not to sign off on the charges — after a report substantiated workplace harassment allegations, which it did not detail.
The Free Press reported previously that the union hired a law firm to investigate allegations that Rankin sexually harassed two female union leaders.
Article 30 sets up rules for bringing charges and holding a union trial, and Rankin could have faced removal from office. Rankin was suspended at that time, with his region placed under the direction of the UAW International.
The UAW said Tuesday that the region has been under the direction of Assistant Director Wayne Blanchard and the UAW President’s Office, with Jeff Schrock as the liaison. The vacancy is to be filled in a regional delegate meeting.
Region 2B includes the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles plant in Toledo, where the Jeep Wrangler is built.
Rankin had been director of Region 2B since June 2017, and he joined the UAW as a member of Local 1112 at General Motors in Lordstown, Ohio, in 1997, according to the UAW’s website.
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©2020 Detroit Free Press
A UAW regional director representing union members in Ohio and Indiana who had faced a possible union trial over harassment claims is resigning.
The news of Region 2B Director Rich Rankin’s resignation, which was effective immediately, as both regional director and a UAW employee was announced in a joint statement from the UAW and Rankin Tuesday afternoon. The union said it was withdrawing with prejudice the union charges under Article 30 of the UAW constitution, and Rankin did not admit wrongdoing.
“Director Rankin’s resignation was a personal decision and does not reflect an admission of any kind. Director Rankin is proud of the work that he has performed advocating for workplace rights of men and women in Region 2B over two decades in various UAW leadership positions. No Article 30 hearing will be held,” according to the statement sent by UAW spokesman Brian Rothenberg.
Rankin, who had a gross salary of $179,430, according to a recent Labor Department filing, had previously been outspoken in his defense.
“I adamantly deny the baseless allegations of workplace harassment. I cooperated fully with the internal investigation conducted by the legal counsel hired the UAW. I have always supported the rights of workers to be free from workplace harassment. I am shocked and dismayed that the UAW Executive Board has decided to pursue Article 30 charges based upon a vague and unsubstantiated lawyer’s report accusing me of conduct that I did not commit,” he said previously in a statement.
The union said in March that the UAW International Executive Board was moving forward with Article 30 charges against Rankin — the only member of the board not to sign off on the charges — after a report substantiated workplace harassment allegations, which it did not detail.
The Free Press reported previously that the union hired a law firm to investigate allegations that Rankin sexually harassed two female union leaders.
Article 30 sets up rules for bringing charges and holding a union trial, and Rankin could have faced removal from office. Rankin was suspended at that time, with his region placed under the direction of the UAW International.
The UAW said Tuesday that the region has been under the direction of Assistant Director Wayne Blanchard and the UAW President’s Office, with Jeff Schrock as the liaison. The vacancy is to be filled in a regional delegate meeting.
Region 2B includes the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles plant in Toledo, where the Jeep Wrangler is built.
Rankin had been director of Region 2B since June 2017, and he joined the UAW as a member of Local 1112 at General Motors in Lordstown, Ohio, in 1997, according to the UAW’s website.
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©2020 Detroit Free Press
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