Wednesday, June 12, 2002
The former union director said the UAW's mandatory retirement policy is 'archaic, flagrantly discriminatory, and retrograde.'
By DAVID SKOLNICK
VINDICATOR POLITICS WRITER
LIBERTY -- A defiant Warren Davis shot back at the union to which he has devoted nearly 50 years of his life.
At its international convention last week, the United Auto Workers withdrew its endorsement of Davis for the 17th Congressional District seat and eliminated the region he has run for 19 years the day after he was re-elected as its director.
"The UAW has been my union and one of the loves of my life," Davis said.
Union policy
The union, of which Davis has been a member for 48 years, said Davis lied to the membership when he said he would not seek re-election as director of Region 2. The union has a long-standing policy of having its directors retire after they turn 65 and complete their term.
Union officials say Davis, 67, told them he would not run for re-election. Davis, of Bay Village, said he only considered it, but opted to seek another term.
Davis said here Tuesday the UAW rule is "archaic, flagrantly discriminatory, and retrograde. It has no place in a progressive union, which should be the champion of the cause of ending employment barriers on arbitrary age criteria."
Vows to fight
Davis said he will fight the union's decision to eliminate his district and his position through the UAW's public review board, the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, or "the court of public opinion."
The union approved a plan last week, the day after Davis was re-elected, that merges Region 2 and three other regions. Davis could have run for director of Region 2-B, which now covers all of Ohio, but decided not to challenge Lloyd Mahaffey, that region's director.
Davis' face turned red as he screamed about the UAW's decision to eliminate his job and pull his endorsement for Congress.
"I've never seen such viciousness in all my years," said Davis, who spent the past 19 years as Region 2 director. "Never, ever. This is why unions are formed."
He targeted most of his rage at a UAW public relations office intern who was sent from the union's Detroit headquarters to audiotape Davis' statements to the media.
"After the way I've been kicked around, don't expect me to treat you with too much respect," he told the intern. Davis said he had no plans to quit the race as an independent candidate for the 17th District, even though political observers say he has no chance of winning.
The 17th District includes portions of Mahoning, Trumbull, Portage and Summit counties. The other candidates are Democrat Timothy J. Ryan of Niles, Republican Ann Womer Benjamin of Aurora, and U.S. Rep. James A. Traficant of Poland, running as an independent.
skolnick@vindy.com