UAW Local 12 President Bruce Baumhower Reflects on His Legacy Ahead of Retirement

Wandering through the corridors of UAW Local 12 on Thursday morning, Bruce Baumhower pondered over the extensive decades of history displayed on its walls. History that he had contributed to shape.

As he walked past the numerous portraits on the wall, a recognizable figure showed up—it was none other than himself.

"Yeah, that guy there, he has to come down. They have to find someone else to put up there," Baumhower said with a laugh.

Baumhower always remained modest and would never bring up the fact that he holds the record for being the longest-serving president in Local 12’s history. Now 70 years old, he has devoted over a third of his life to leading the organization since beginning his tenure back in 1993—a role he had not anticipated taking on initially.

"It was very unfortunate how I became president. The current president at the time had called me down and said 'I want you to be my vice president.' Shortly after, within months of him making me his vice president, he passed away," he recalled. "Now I'm the president, and I say, 'oh my God, now I'm driving the car.'"

Baumhower brushed aside his nervousness and dove right into action. His mission was to create some monumental plays for the Glass City.

The largest project was constructing the two state-of-the-art Jeep facilities. There was an old site that dated back 90 years," Baumhower went on. "At the time, Tom LaSorda was the CEO, and Tom and I grew quite friendly, often sharing lunches. Sometimes I’d travel to Detroit, sometimes he'd visit Toledo. Together, we persuaded him that establishing a modern plant was necessary.

According to historical accounts, the factories responsible for producing the Wrangler and the Gladiator models, which have significantly shaped Toledo’s labor force, were chosen during a luncheon discussion.

Baumholder’s approach involves effortlessly crafting significant choices. He mentioned that Jeep Fest—a massive event attracting tens of thousands to the Glass City—emerged from a casual conversation at work.

“It all began in my office when I and one of my members discussed doing something special for Jeep. Our community fully supports Jeep Fest,” stated Baumhover.

Not only is he an architect of Toledo's affection for Jeep, but he has also battled to safeguard it.

In 2023, when UAW’s international president Shawn Fain reached out to Baumhower to lead their autoworker strike as the forefront, Baumhower embraced the opportunity with great enthusiasm.

Issued my own call to leave even though they hadn’t asked us to go yet. Actually, our leader mentioned, ‘Hey buddy, you aren’t supposed to do this.’ Nonetheless, we left and embraced the strike against the entire company,” stated Baumhower.

Throughout everything, his staff members, such as his secretary Sheila Armstrong, have stated that he has guided Local 12 with a firm but calm approach.

"I will truly miss him, his style and commitment were invaluable," expressed Armstrong.

However, Baumhover maintains a personal life beyond his professional duties. He has a spouse, adult offspring, and grandchildren who look forward to having their grandfather attend their events.

For several years, he had been contemplating when it would be appropriate to throw in the towel. One morning, he woke up and decided that moment had arrived.

"I expected to be anxious about retiring, but suddenly, I’m looking forward to it. It’s probably because my spouse is enthusiastic about it and so are my eight grandchildren. Whenever they inquire, ‘Grandpa, will you come watch our matches from now on?’ I tell them I’ll attend each game,” explained Baumhower.

As the book concludes on a lengthy and productive career, Baumhower remarked that it feels akin to bidding farewell to a wonderful love affair; however, similar to every satisfying romance, he wouldn’t alter anything about his journey.

"I feel incredibly fortunate for the support from the members who trusted this old man, and I will be eternally thankful," stated Baumhower.

Baumhower's final day in office is June 30. The new appointee will start the following day.