GM General Motors Company

By Christina Rogers 

The United Auto Workers union said Wednesday its top governing board is taking action to remove President Gary Jones from elected office and expel him from the membership, in another unsettling change to the union's top ranks.

The UAW's executive board accused Mr. Jones and another top union official of providing false and misleading expense reports to the union's accounting department and then concealing the misconduct, a violation of the federal labor law.

Mr. Jones was put on a leave of absence earlier this month, following the union securing new labor agreements with both General Motors Co. and Ford Motor Co. and as a widening criminal probe into union corruption continued to ensnare former UAW leaders.

An attorney for Mr. Jones didn't return an immediate request for comment.

Mr. Jones, who led the UAW through a bruising 40-day strike at GM, has been implicated in the federal investigation. He has not been charged.

The federal probe, which became public in 2017, has gathered steam in recent months with agents executing search warrants on the homes of several current and former UAW officials, including Mr. Jones's home in Michigan.

The investigation focuses on allegations of bribery and kickbacks involving top UAW officials and has led to multiple convictions.

Rory Gamble, the UAW's top bargainer with GM, took over as acting president following Mr. Jones's placement on leaves. The UAW is in the midst of bargaining for a new labor contract with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV.

Mr. Gamble, in a statement, said the union is committed to implementing new ethics reforms and financial controls to prevent any future misdeeds.

Write to Christina Rogers at christina.rogers@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

November 20, 2019 16:38 ET (21:38 GMT)

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