Recognizing Bruce Baumhower, the three-decade president of Local 12
TOLEDO – A warm welcome filled the Toledo City Council chambers for two individuals recognized for their service to the city at last week’s meeting.
About a half-hour was dedicated to honoring the former president of United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 12, Bruce Baumhower, who retired earlier this year, leaving Local 12’s leadership to the previous vice president, Brian Sims.
Resolution 287 recognized Baumhower for his 32-year career with the United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 12, starting at the Jeep plant in 1972, serving as the union president starting in 1993 and retiring in 2025.
Council Member At-Large, George Sarantou, credited Baumhower as one of three people, alongside former Toledo Mayor, Carty Finkbeiner, and former Ohio Governor, George Voinovich, responsible for preserving the Jeep legacy in Toledo by encouraging investment in the Toledo North Assembly Plant, built in 1997.
“We really owe you a debt of gratitude because you’ve made such a stunning difference in those 32 years,” Sarantou said, and most of the council chimed in to thank Baumhower on a personal level.
But no one council member’s testimonial stood out as much as Vanice Williams’ (District 4) story about working for Jeep when she was, in her own words, “Big Pregnant.”
On the engine while six months pregnant with her daughter Faith, Williams told the story of a manager who would not let her be relieved until Baumhower cursed out that manager on Williams’ behalf.
At the time, Williams said she was homeless. “I was coming to work at Jeep every day pregnant to try to make sure that I was able to provide a home,” she said. “I want you to know how much I appreciated that. I had nobody defending me, not even my family. And you defended me.”
Council Members Sam Melden (District 5), Theresa Morris (District 6), Nick Komives (At-Large), Mac Driscoll (At-Large), Cerssandra McPherson (At-Large) and Brittany Jones (At-Large) all spoke of the legacy Baumhower left over his decades of investment in Toledo.
“Dad bought a house,” McPherson said of her father, who retired from working at Jeep as a member of Local 12. “Jeep did that for us.”
Baumhower was short with his words, and expressed his thanks to Local 12 and to his wife, Kim Baumhower, for their support.
“I got a lot of credit for work that a lot of other people did,” Baumhower said in summation, and highlighted the members of Local 12 that were there as well as his wife.
 Local 12, Bruce Baumhower, who retired earlier this year.){kind=link}