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.
Jones has been the target of a federal probe of alleged corruption in the UAW. The union is also linked to an alleged bribery scheme, according to a lawsuit filed by GM against rival Fiat Chrysler.
U.S. employers added 128,000 jobs last month. The unemployment rate inched up to 3.6%. The drop in job creation reflects a slowing economy, but a strike at General Motors was also a factor.
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.
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.
If the United Automobile Workers union does strike, it would be the first against a Detroit automaker in eight years. Workers previously rejected a deal presented by union leadership and management.
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."
GM and the UAW kicked off contract talks Monday; Chrysler and Ford will do the same this month. Negotiations are never easy, but since industry bailouts in 2009, there's a stronger push to cooperate.
