A major ally of President Joe Biden appears to be in some legal hot water, thanks to a watchdog complaint.
United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain is being investigated by a court-appointed watchdog as part of efforts to stamp out corruption within the union. The probe comes in the aftermath of a far-reaching bribery and embezzlement scandal from several years ago, as reported by Newsmax.
Neil Barofsky, the monitor, has revealed that he is investigating Fain and other senior UAW leaders, according to a report filed with U.S. Distirct Judge David M. Lawson of the Eastern District of Michigan on Monday. Barofsky accused the union of a “recent lapse” in cooperation with his monitoring duties, which began after he initiated the probe into senior officials earlier this year.
The report mentioned clashes within the union’s International Executive Board over the past few months. Barofsky highlighted a specific dispute between Fain and secretary-treasurer Margaret Mock. The UAW boss stated that he was forced to strip Mock of several duties, claiming that she “engaged in misconduct while carrying out her financial oversight responsibilities,” according to Barofsky’s report.
Fain also took responsibilities away from UAW Vice President Rich Boyer due to “’dereliction of duty’ in connection with certain collective bargaining issues,” the report noted. Details of the misconduct allegations were not included, however. Both Mock and Boyer have denied the allegations against them and have previously accused Fain himself of misconduct.
In his report, Barofsky wrote that Mock filed “allegations of her own” against the union chief and that his actions against her were in “retaliation for her refusal or reluctance to authorize certain expenditures of funds at the request of and/or for the benefit of those in the president’s office.” Boyer, meanwhile, accused Fain of retaliating against him for “refusing to engage in acts of financial misconduct to benefit others.”
Fain issued a statement to the media on Monday denying the allegations: “Taking our union in a new direction means sometimes you have to rock the boat, and that upsets some people who want to keep the status quo, but our membership expects better and deserves better than the old business as usual,” he said.
“We encourage the monitor to investigate whatever claims are brought to their office, because we know what they’ll find: a UAW leadership committed to serving the membership, and running a democratic union. We’re staying focused on winning record contracts, growing our union, and fighting for economic and social justice on and off the job,” he added.
In 2021, the union agreed by consent decree to authorize a federal monitor in order to settle federal corruption charges. This came after past union officials, including two past presidents, were sent to prison. Fain endorsed President Biden earlier this year after previously withholding their endorsement. He allowed Biden to join workers on the picket line during the recent auto industry strike, which resulted in a 20-minute appearance for the president.
