The union UAW said it was unable to reach an agreement on a new contract with the company, which is known for its signature green and yellow farm equipment.
In the latest update to a UAW corruption scandal, Jones admits he conspired to embezzle more than $1 million of union money in addition to pleading guilty to racketeering and tax evasion.
The UAW, the autoworker's union, had been pushing for a two-week shutdown because of worker concerns. Plants will be shut down at least through March 30.
Gamble, 64, will serve the remainder of the term of former head Gary Jones, who has been implicated in a federal embezzlement and bribery scheme at the union and resigned his post last month.
On Friday, the United Auto Workers and its nearly 50,000 GM employees signaled an end to the six-week stalemate, voting to OK a deal that the labor union struck with the automaker earlier this month.
Unions and their supporters around the country are assessing whether the United Auto Workers strike against General Motors is a sign of renewed labor power.
When the union's GM national council reviews the deal's terms Thursday, it will decide whether nearly 50,000 workers should remain on strike or whether they should go back to work immediately.
The UAW strike against GM is in its fourth week, and businesses that supply the automaker are losing millions each day. In Lansing, Mich., more than 11,000 people who supply parts are out of work.
As negotiations continue between the automaker and the union, workers express what motivates them to join the picket line. "One fight, we all fight," one worker says.
General Motors and the United Auto Workers sit down soon to negotiate a new contract. Recession fears and slowing sales are concerns, along with allegations of corruption among UAW leaders.
The UAW announced the agreement just after Wednesday's strike deadline of 11:59 p.m. Fiat Chrysler is the first of Detroit's big three automakers to reach a tentative contract with the UAW.
In the South, unions have faced an especially tough battle. Still, organizers keep trying. United Auto Workers is trying to win a vote by workers at a factory in Piedmont, Ala., on Wednesday.
Observers were surprised when Fiat Chrysler was selected as the first of Detroit's automakers to negotiate an agreement, or serve as a "strike target."
