Biographical sketch of UAW Vice President General Holiefield
06.15.2006

General Holiefield was elected a vice president of the UAW on June 14, 2006 by the delegates to the 34th UAW Constitutional Convention.

A UAW member for 33 years, Holiefield served as Executive Administrative Assistant to UAW President Ron Gettelfinger from June 2004 until his election as vice president. He is the first African-American to serve in the union’s top staff position.

Prior to that, Holiefield served two years as an Administrative Assistant to Vice President Nate Gooden, who directs the UAW DaimlerChrysler Department. In the UAW’s successful 2003 national negotiations with DaimlerChrysler, Holiefield coordinated the national negotiating committees and staff assignments, and played a major role in ratifying the national agreement.

Holiefield was appointed to the staff of the UAW in 1995 by then President Stephen P. Yokes and assigned to the union’s Chrysler Department, then directed by Vice President Jack Laskowski. As a servicing representative, he worked closely with UAW members and local union leaders at Chrysler manufacturing and parts plants in Michigan and Indiana.

In July 1997, Vice President Laskowski promoted Holiefield to the position of Appeals Board Coordinator, with responsibility for handling arbitration cases for the UAW Chrysler Department.

In November 1999, Vice President Gooden named Holiefield as an Assistant Director of the union’s DaimlerChrysler Department, and promoted him to Administrative Assistant in April 2002.

Holiefield has been a UAW member since 1973, when he went to work at Chrysler’s Jefferson assembly plant in Detroit. In 1975, he transferred to the Chrysler axle plant on the lower east side of Detroit, where he quickly became active in UAW Local 961, working on various standing committees, including the Civil Rights, Community Action Program (CAP), Union Label, and Bylaws committees.

Recognizing his activism and leadership skills, UAW Local 961 members elected Holiefield as their chief steward in 1987. He was elected vice president of his local union in 1990, and became president two years later when his predecessor retired. In 1993, Local 961 members elected Holiefield president and bargaining chairperson by acclamation.

A longtime political and community activist, Holiefield is a member of the Michigan Democratic Party, a “Life” member of the NAACP and a member of the UAW Legal Services Board.

General and his wife Marlene, who live in Macomb County, Mich., are the proud parents of three adult children: daughter Shaelyn and sons Chalfonte and General Jr. An avid car buff, General also enjoys riding horses, fishing and motorcycling.

Holiefield was born on June 6, 1953 in Middletown, Ohio.