U.S. Justice Department Opens Grand Jury Probe Into UAW President Over Alleged Misuse of Authority

The U.S. Department of Justice has opened a grand jury investigation into United Auto Workers president Shawn Fain over allegations that he misused his authority to obtain benefits for his fiancée and sister. A report issued last month by the union’s court-appointed monitor detailed claims that Fain pressured UAW vice president Rich Boyer to approve a financial bonus for the fiancée and worker’s compensation benefits for the sister.

When Boyer declined, Fain removed him as chief negotiator with Stellantis NV, the monitor stated. The monitor deferred any decision on disciplinary action against Fain. A federal grand jury later subpoenaed the monitor over its findings.

Fain, elected president in March 2023 and seeking a second four-year term, stated on Sunday that the accusations are false and amount to election interference. He said Boyer fed the monitor false allegations to influence the vote that begins in August. Fain added that the conflict began after he refused to allow Boyer to hire family members into union positions.

He also accused monitor Neil Barofsky of holding a political grudge tied to the UAW’s support for a ceasefire in Gaza. The union signed a 2023 petition calling for a ceasefire, and Fain publicly praised the position in a December 2023 speech. In a February 2024 email, the union’s outside counsel accused Barofsky of a surprising lack of integrity after he questioned the union’s stance on the war.

Barofsky was appointed independent monitor in 2021 under a consent decree that followed a 2020 corruption scandal in which more than a dozen officials pleaded guilty to embezzling millions of dollars. Two former UAW presidents received prison sentences in connection with that case. The Department of Justice, Boyer and Barofsky did not respond to requests for comment.