DETROIT — The federal watchdog tasked with overseeing the United Auto Workers union has concluded that UAW President Shawn Fain abused his position of power and took retaliatory action against a senior union officer, according to a report released Thursday.
Neil Barofsky, a New York attorney serving as the federally appointed monitor for the UAW, detailed in the report how Fain retaliated against union official Rich Boyer after Boyer objected to certain actions taken by Fain. The monitor also found that Fain used his influence in ways that stood to benefit his fiancée and her sister.
While the monitor noted that some of the evidence could potentially support disciplinary measures, he said he is holding off on any decision until further review is completed. The timing of the report is notable — it comes just days before a UAW leadership election in which Fain is seeking a second four-year term.
Fain fired back in a written statement, calling Barofsky’s report politically driven. He pointed to what he described as a deeply personal conflict with the monitor in 2024 over the union executive board’s call for a ceasefire in Gaza.
“Now, more than two years after becoming aware of Vice President Boyer’s allegations, and on the eve of our election, Mr. Barofsky has chosen to publicly release a politically charged and false report about me. The most reasonable conclusion is that he is playing political games and abusing his power,” Fain wrote in the statement, which was dated Tuesday and made public Thursday.
The monitor’s office did not respond when asked to comment on Fain’s statement.
Art Wheaton, a labor studies professor at Cornell University, said that while the federal monitor does have the authority to impose serious penalties — including actions that could affect Fain’s eligibility to run for office — the current situation does not appear likely to reach that level of severity.
Fain became a well-known labor figure in 2023 after leading strikes against General Motors, Ford Motor, and Stellantis, the maker of Jeep vehicles. However, the monitor’s accusations have damaged his standing with some union members. Boyer, the official Fain allegedly retaliated against, is among the candidates challenging Fain in the upcoming election.
Executives at the major Detroit automakers are keeping a close eye on the UAW election. Fain earned a reputation as the union’s most aggressive leader in recent memory, securing historically significant contract gains following the 2023 strikes.
The UAW has operated under federal supervision since 2020, when the union reached a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice to address a corruption scandal within the organization. The monitor’s office regularly releases reports examining the union’s internal operations.
According to the latest report, Fain lobbied for bonuses for non-union workers at a Stellantis training facility — a move that would have financially benefited his fiancée. The report also states that Fain pressured both Stellantis and union leadership to get involved in a workers’ compensation case involving his fiancée’s sister, who was hurt while working at a Stellantis plant.
The report further describes ongoing conflicts between Fain and Boyer over Boyer’s management of the Stellantis department and its staff. When Boyer pushed back against Fain’s actions, the report states, Fain responded by stripping him of certain responsibilities. Those duties were later restored to Boyer following an earlier report from the monitor.
