Douglas Fraser  Douglas Andrew Fraser (December 18, 1916 – February 23, 2008) was a Scottish-American union leader. He was president of the United Auto Workers from 1977 to 1983 and an adjunct professor of labor relations at Wayne State University for many years. He is best remembered for helping to save Chrysler from bankruptcy in 1979 by heavily lobbying the US Congress for a loan and convincing workers to make concessions. He received the Walter P. Reuther Humanitarian Award from Wayne State University in 2006. Fraser was born in Glasgow, Scotland, on December 28, 1916. His father, Samuel, was an electrician and an active and vocal trade unionist. The family was so poor that his father, who worked at a brewery, would sometimes fuel the family stove with stolen whiskey. Samuel Fraser moved to Detroit, Michigan, while his son was still a young boy, in 1922. Samuel, his mother, Douglas, his sister, and his brother sailed to New York City aboard the and were inspected at Ellis Island on April 23, 1923. They travelled to their new home in Detroit by train. Douglas was deeply influenced by the Great Depression. His father was out of work for long periods, and he admitted that the poverty and social disorder that he witnessed changed his life. He dropped out of high school when he was 18, worked in a machine shop, and took several jobs in the automobile industry. Fraser eventually found work as a metal finisher in one of Chrysler's DeSoto factories, where he became active in the union in 1936. He was twice fired for his union beliefs and activities and participated sitdown strikes at Chrysler. Fraser was elected president of UAW Local 227 in 1943, and served in the US Army during World War II. After the war, Fraser quickly rose through the ranks in the UAW. He was appointed an international representative in 1947. During a difficult 104-day strike at Chrysler in 1950, he deeply impressed UAW staff with his negotiating skills. He joined the personal staff of UAW President Walter Reuther in 1951, where he was a personal administrative assistant to Reuther. In 1959, he was elected co-director of UAW Region 1A, and a member-at-large of the international UAW board of directors in 1962. Reuther soon thereafter appointed him director of the UAW's Chrysler, Skilled Trades, and Technical, Office and Professional Departments. He was elected a vice-president of the international union in 1970. As a key member of Reuther's staff, Fraser was involved in a number of successful collective bargaining agreements, early retirement program in 1964, and wage parity for both US and Canadian members in 1967.