Facing federal investigation, Fain alleges political opponent misled UAW monitor

United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain is under investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice amid accusations that he had abused his authority to secure financial benefits for his fiancee and her sister. 

First reported by Bloomberg News Sunday, the DOJ launched a grand jury investigation into Fain, subpoenaing the union’s federal monitor, Neil Barofsky, who was appointed to oversee the UAW following a 2021 corruption scandal which culminated in criminal convictions for several  union leaders and auto executives.

A UAW spokesperson said the union has not been subpoenaed as part of the investigation.

Fain pushed back against the allegations in a statement, arguing UAW Vice President Rich Boyer had “fed the monitor false allegations about me and is now trying to weaponize these bogus allegations to steal the upcoming UAW election.”

Fain is seeking reelection as head of the union, with Boyer, Tricia Geiger Brian Keller, Will Lehman and Greg Mooney also accepting nominations for president.

“I’ve retained a law firm to fight against the Monitor’s trumped-up claims against me. What the Monitor is doing is wrong, it’s unfair to the UAW and to you as members, and my lawyers are looking at any and all legal options I can pursue to make it stop,” Fain said in his statement.

In a June 25 report, Barofsky concluded Fain had retaliated against Boyer by removing him from his role overseeing relations with automaker Stellantis. Barofsky stated that this was done after Boyer refused Fain’s request to make personnel changes to his staff, declined to provide preferential treatment to Fain’s fiancee’s sister in a worker’s compensation claim and failed to approve a cash bonus that would have benefited Fain’s fiancee.

In his statement, Fain said he’d retained a law firm, while arguing Barofsky harbored a political grudge against him due to the union’s anti-war stance on Israel and Gaza, with the union recently voting to divest its investments from Israel bonds.

While Boyer did not respond to multiple requests for comment left with both his campaign and his office, a screenshot of the Bloomberg story on the DOJ investigation was posted on his UAW campaign’s Facebook page, and then later a link to Barofsky’s report.

“Transparency is imperative,” Boyer wrote. “Take the time to read the Independent Monitor’s reports, review the available information, ask questions, and evaluate the facts for yourself.”