Nate Gooden, a member of DaimlerChrysler AG's supervisory board from 2002 through 2006, died November 7 at the age of 68.
"Nate Gooden was a tough but always fair negotiator. He was an innovative partner in a very tough business, who always did his best to take care of his people," said Dr. Dieter Zetsche, chairman of the board of management for DaimlerChrysler AG.
Gooden was first elected to the post of vice president of the Interna-tional Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW) by the UAW International Executive Board in 1999 and then re-elected in 2002. During that time, he served as the head of the DaimlerChrysler Department for the union.
"Nate Gooden made a significant contribution to internationalizing the representation of interests at DaimlerChrysler. Through him, the American workforce had an important voice in the supervisory board. Moreover, Nate Gooden was a dedicated promoter of the exchange program for young works council representatives," said Erich Klemm, deputy chairman of the supervisory board and chairman of the Central Works Council of DaimlerChrysler AG.
In 2004, Gooden directed the UAW’s national contract negotiations with Chrysler Group. He retired from the UAW in June of this year, also stepping down from DaimlerChrysler's supervisory board at that time.
"Although we sometimes found ourselves on the opposite end of the bargaining table, I will miss his forthrightness and sense of humor, which were important attributes in helping us find common ground," said Tom LaSorda, Chrysler Group president and CEO.
Gooden was born in Detroit in 1938. He had been a UAW member since 1964, when he was hired on the chassis assembly line at Chrysler’s Warren (Michigan) Truck Assembly Plant. He was elected vice president in 1973 and president in 1975. Gooden attended Wayne State University's Labor Studies program.
