Last month, the UAW’s court-appointed corruption monitor revealed that he was investigating UAW President Shawn Fain over allegations of misconduct, retaliation, and for “slow-rolling” documents needed for an investigation.
Now, a new federal court filing from shows that UAW Vice President Rich Boyer alleged that he was removed from overseeing the union’s Stellantis department after his “refusal to accede to demands by [the President] and his agents that [the Vice President] take actions . . . that would have benefitted [the President’s] domestic partner and her sister.”
The filing also detailed the impact of the UAW’s “slow-rolling” of the investigation:
“… The Union has effectively stalled the Monitor’s work… These investigations would likely have been resolved by now had the union cooperated with the monitor’s requests.”
While these allegations are troubling enough, there’s also evidence that the removal of assignments from Secretary-Treasurer Mock and Vice President Boyer have had a significant impact on the UAW’s future ability to root out corruption.
The Monitor released his 10th status report on July 12, which detailed how these recent allegations and dismissals may have contributed to a culture of fear within the union.
“… These events have been perceived by Union staff — that already has significant concerns about a ‘culture of fear of retribution’ — as confirmation that even the highest-ranked Union officials can be subject to retaliation.
Specifically, reports to the Monitor’s Hotline from Union staff have cited the actions taken against the Secretary-Treasurer and Vice President as driving retaliation fears that reporting alleged abuses might lead to retribution from the President’s Office.”
A recent third-party audit of the union’s culture, which was recommended by the monitor, confirmed these concerns. The audit found that 40% percent of UAW’s staff members would decline to report acts of misconduct over fear of retaliation.
As the investigation continues to unfold, these monitor reports raise a troubling question: How different is Fain’s “new” UAW from the old one?
