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UAW Chrysler Leader Marc Stepp Dies
Marc Stepp, the United Auto Workers leader who headed the union’s Chrysler department through turbulent times between 1974 and 1989, has died at age 93.
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Marc Stepp, the United Auto Workers leader who headed the union’s Chrysler department through turbulent times between 1974 and 1989, has died at age 93.
Stepp, a classic labor advocate, became a conciliatory backer of Chrysler’s efforts to avoid bankruptcy in 1979. He joined Chrysler President Lee Iacocca in successfully lobbying Congress for aid. The result was $1.5 billion in federal loan guarantees that saved Chrysler, along with thousands of jobs.
The deal included some $460 million in wage and benefit reductions imposed on UAW members. When Chrysler revived in the 1980s, Stepp renewed his hard bargaining style to help restore the economic losses to Chrysler workers.
Stepp joined the UAW in 1942 as a dockworker at 57 cents per hour. He became director of its Chrysler department 32 years later. The assignment made him the first African-American to head a negotiating team. Stepp retired in 1989.
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