Executive Council Statement

On the Retirement of Rory L. Gamble

The AFL-CIO Executive Council congratulates our friend and brother, Rory L. Gamble, on his recent retirement from the UAW.

He kept the UAW in its members’ hands after a difficult period of transition that was shortly followed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Throughout the public health and economic crises, Gamble was a persistent champion of workers’ rights. He also used his widely respected voice to speak up for progress and equality for all working people.

During Brother Gamble’s tenure as president, the UAW played an instrumental role in turning out union members to support Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election. The union helped ensure Michigan and other crucial battleground states voted for Biden.

A member of the labor movement for decades, Gamble dedicated his career to advocating for his fellow union members. In the 1970s, he joined UAW Local 600 while working as a welder fixture repairman at the Ford Motor Co.’s Dearborn frame plant. Gamble went on to serve in numerous elected positions in his local union.

He served as a member of the UAW–Ford National Negotiating Team in 1998 and 2003. In 2018, Gamble was elected UAW vice president at the union’s 37th Constitutional Convention and became the union’s president a year later.

For his years of dedicated service to the labor movement, the AFL-CIO Executive Council expresses its deep gratitude to Rory Gamble and wishes him a long and happy retirement.