United Auto Workers president Shawn Fain and some other officials at the union are under investigation for potential retaliation and embezzlement at the union, a court-appointed watchdog said this week.
Neil Barofsky was assigned to monitor corruption at the union in 2021 after UAW was caught up in a broad bribery and embezzlement scandal. In May of 2021, the union agreed to a settlement with the U.S. government in which a watchdog would monitor the group for misconduct.
In his report, Barofsky said the union has become recently less cooperative with his monitoring. According to the report, he was investigating potential retaliation and embezzlement. It alleged the union was slow to provide documents that may have been related to the conduct.
"The Monitor’s assessment is that the Union’s delay of relevant documents is obstructing and interfering with his access to information needed for his investigative work," the report read.
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In a statement to The Associated Press, Fain said he welcomed the scrutiny.
"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," the statement read, in part. “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."
