United Auto Workers union announced that after discussion with the leaders of General Motors, Ford, and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, the carmakers would partially shut down factories on a "rotating" basis to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Though primarily known for autoworkers, as of 2022, academic workers comprise a quarter of UAW membership. In 2022, the UAW affiliate at the University of California went on strike for higher pay, an event known as the 2022 University of California academic workers' strike. Corruption and reform in the UAW A corruption probe by the Justice Department against UAW and 3 Fiat Chrysler executives was conducted during 2020 regarding several charges such as racketeering, embezzlement, and tax evasion. It resulted in convictions of 12 union officials and 3 Fiat Chrysler executives, including two former Union Presidents, UAW paying back over $15 million in improper chargebacks to worker training centers, payment of $1.5 million to the IRS to settle tax issues, commitment to independent oversight for six years, and a referendum that reformed the election mode for leadership. The "One Member One Vote" referendum vote in 2022 determined that UAW members could directly elect the members of the UAW International Executive Board (IEB), the highest ruling body of the UAW. Technical, Office, and Professional (TOP) Workers District 65, a former affiliate of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union that included as a predecessor the United Office and Professional Workers of America, merged into the UAW in 1989. In 2008, the 6,500 postdoctoral scholars (postdocs) at the ten campuses of the University of California, who, combined, account for 10% of the postdocs in the US, voted to affiliate with the UAW, creating the largest union for postdoctoral scholars in the country: UAW Local 5810. The expansion of UAW to academic circles, postdoctoral researchers in particular, was significant in that the move helped secure advances in pay that made unionized academic researchers among the best compensated in the country in addition to gaining unprecedented rights and protections. Leadership Presidents 1935–1936: Francis J. Dillon 1936–1938: Homer Martin 1938–1946: R. J. Thomas 1946-1970: Walter Reuther 1970–1977: Leonard F. Woodcock 1977–1983: Douglas Fraser 1983–1995: Owen Bieber 1995–2002: Stephen Yokich 2002–2010: Ron Gettelfinger 2010–2014: Bob King 2014–June 2018: Dennis Williams June 2018 – November 2, 2019: Gary Jones (Paid leave of absence starting November 2, 2019, resigned November 21, 2019) November 3, 2019 – June 30, 2021: Rory Gamble July 1,