DETROIT, (Reuters) – The federal monitor overseeing the United Auto Workers union has found that its president, Shawn Fain, retaliated against the union’s secretary-treasurer after disagreements over spending.
Secretary-Treasurer Margaret Mock had some of her duties reassigned for her refusal or reluctance to authorize certain expenditures for Fain’s office, New York attorney Neil Barofsky said in a report released on Tuesday.
“Fain acted on a premeditated plan to take action against Mock,” it stated.
Fain and 10 other union executive board members said in a statement late on Tuesday that Mock failed to live up to the standard of putting union members first.
The 11 board members cited alleged failures by Mock including failing to produce a budget, as well as obstructing “critical bargaining and organizing activities.”
“The UAW International Executive Board has taken multiple corrective steps to address these serious issues in a productive and proactive manner. We stand by our decisions,” the board members wrote.
Fain did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the specifics of the monitor’s findings.
Mock’s attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the statement late on Tuesday.
The monitor’s report called for the union’s executive board to reinstate the various responsibilities stripped from Mock, which included purchasing, benefits and pensions.
Fain has been credited with leading a resurgence in union power across the country during a 2023 strike against the Detroit Three automakers, Ford, General Motors and Stellantis.
But the report could deal a blow to his reputation, with Barofsky also citing instances in which Fain yelled and swore at Mock or other UAW members.
Mock urged other executive board members to accept the monitor’s recommendations.
“Let’s put these internal issues to rest and focus on the fights that really matter,” she said in a statement. “In unity and solidarity, let’s work together to confront employers and uncaring politicians who choose to wage war on the working class.”
Fain’s office had also accused Mock of obstructing union operations and seeking to influence board votes, claims that the report said were unfounded.
The monitor was appointed in 2021 following a years-long corruption scandal that resulted in the federal convictions of several former leaders. He has since regularly released reports on his team’s investigations into the union’s practices. The investigation into allegations about Fain’s and Mock’s actions was opened in February 2024.
Reporting by Kalea Hall and Nora Eckert in Detroit; Editing by Edwina Gibbs and Saad Sayeed
