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GM’s Top Labor Negotiator Quits

Rex Blackwell, who became General Motors Co.'s vice president of North American labor relations two months ago, unexpectedly retired on June 1, sources tell The Wall Street Journal.
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Rex Blackwell, who became General Motors Co.'s vice president of North American labor relations two months ago, unexpectedly retired on June 1, sources tell The Wall Street Journal.

GM has replaced Blackwell with Cathy Clegg, who became GM's vice president of North American manufacturing a year ago. Clegg was GM's vice president of labor relations during the 2011 contract negotiations with the United Auto Workers union.

GM has not publicly announced Blackwell's retirement or Clegg's new assignment. News of Blackwell's retirement came the same day Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV announced that its chief labor negotiator, Al Icobelli, was retiring, effective immediately.

Both departures come as Detroit's carmakers begin delicate contract negotiations with the UAW. The union is expected to demand an end to the two-tier wage system it agreed upon to help get the industry through the 2009 economic downturn.

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