While the former UAW president, Ron Gettelfinger, a supporter of King's candidacy, cried out "democracy in action!" after hearing the results, Walkowicz once again warned the UAW must move away from the concession-making policy of past years.
"Our union faces a huge crisis, a real emergency, brought on by past policies," Walkowicz said according to DetNews. "We need to do a radical 180-degree turn, away from policies of concessions!"
King, currently 63, has been UAW vice president since 1998 and played a crucial role in the Ford UAW agreements of 2007 and 2009. From 2002 to 2006, he was in charge of the National Organizing Department.
The first order of business for the new UAW leadership will be a march in Detroit on Thursday, with King, lead members and other UAW officers asking for Wall Street to "pay for the damaging recession it caused by paying its fair share to create the 11 million jobs America needs, by ceasing its opposition to financial reform and by making loans available to homeowners to stop foreclosures, to communities, small businesses and other entities starved of credit."
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