Owen Bieber
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Owen Bieber (b. December 28, 1929, North Dorr, Michigan) was the president of the trade union United Auto Workers from 1983 to 1995.
He started his union involvement at the age of 19 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, working his way up from the bottom, holding the following positions:
- 1955 – Elected to local union bargaining committee.
- 1956 – Elected president of local chapter, UAW Local 687
- 1972 – Elected Regional UAW Director
- 1980 – Elected Vice-President of UAW
- 1983 – Elected President of UAW, replacing the retiring Douglas Fraser
Bieber's tenure was a difficult one, as the UAW was faced with declining automobile industry profits, plant closures, the pullout of 120,000 Canadian UAW members, and increasing competition from foreign automakers.
In 1995, Bieber retired at the age of 65, and was replaced by Stephen Yokich as UAW President.
| Preceded by Douglas Fraser |
UAW President 1983 – 1995 |
Succeeded by Stephen Yokich |
[edit] Miscellanea
- A dedicated Democrat, Bieber also worked on John F. Kennedy's presidential election campaign in 1960.
- Bieber was named to Chrysler Corporation's board of directors in 1984.
