Posts tagged investigation
House Republicans ramp up labor union investigations before midterms
September 3, 2026 // Inquiries come after conservative thinktanks claim unions are using member dues to support Democratic causes
Three Takeaways From Our Investigation Into a Shady New York Union
August 21, 2026 // Our investigation into the union — International Brotherhood of Trade Unions, or IBOTU — found that it enriches its leaders at the expense of its members, who are low-wage workers in grocery stores, ambulance companies, and home health care, among other industries. The union has repeatedly been targeted by federal regulators for labor law violations, and some of its leaders have been arrested for criminal activity. IBOTU is also a family business: three of its current top officers married the founding president’s daughters. All three currently make about $1 million per year.
IATSE Local 479 Leadership Suspended Amid Corruption Concerns
August 21, 2026 // Local 479, which represents more than 7,000 film and television technicians across Georgia and Alabama, has been temporarily placed under the stewardship of several special representatives after President Matthew Loeb “declared an emergency” at the division last month, according to a letter sent to members and obtained by Deadline. “This decision was the result of an investigation in which reliable and credible information was brought to my knowledge that the property and membership rights of the Local were subject to irreparable injury if there was no temporary intervention,” Loeb’s letter to members read.
Shawn Fain decries DOJ investigation over allegations he abused his office
July 14, 2026 // After UAW Vice President Rich Boyer accused Fain of using his position to seek favors for his fiancée and her sister, and of retaliating and making false accusations against him, the DOJ launched an investigation into the union leader, according to internal communications obtained by Bloomberg. Fain has also claimed the investigation is motivated by retaliation against his anti-corporate stance and hinted that the timing, coming right before a union election, is no coincidence. Boyer is running for the top position.
Power-Hungry and Petty: How Shawn Fain Runs the UAW
June 25, 2025 // Fain had the union’s compliance director read the fabricated report of Mock’s alleged wrongdoing into the record at an executive board meeting in February 2024. Mock was never interviewed in the creation of the report, and did not know it existed until it was delivered in the meeting. Mock is a black woman. Fain coordinated with two other black women on the executive board, regional directors Laura Dickerson and LaShawn English, to strip Mock of much of her authority in the organization. Dickerson made the motion and English seconded it. The exact wording of the motion was scripted by Fain’s aides, text messages uncovered by the monitor revealed, and Dickerson said she had agreed to make the motion before the report was even finalized.
Chair Walberg Requests Investigation into Alleged Union Embezzlement
April 17, 2025 // “According to the article, Mr. Gresham ‘has for years used union money to benefit himself, his family and political allies.’ These allegations raise serious concerns about whether the union’s officers have been treating the union treasury as a personal slush fund rather than upholding their legal duty to manage members’ dues for the members’ exclusive benefit. The Committee shares these concerns and is committed to supporting the enforcement of federal laws protecting union members’ rights.”
Inside The Now-Shuttered Federal Agency Where Employees Lived ‘Like Reigning Kings’
March 20, 2025 // The Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) occupied a nine-story office tower on D.C.’s K Street for only 60 employees, many of whom actually worked from home, prior to the pandemic. Its managers had luxury suites with full bathrooms; one manager would often be “in the shower” when she was needed, while another used her bathroom as a cigarette lounge. FMCS recorded its director as being on a years-long business trip to D.C. so he could have all of his meals and living expenses covered by taxpayers, simply for showing up to the office. FMCS is a 230-employee agency that exists to serve as a voluntary mediator between unions and businesses. As an “independent agency,” its director nominally reports to the president, but the agency is so small that in effect, there is no oversight at all
CVUSD teachers’ union president sues district, alleges discrimination against non-Latino employees
March 17, 2025 // Days after Carrera filed her complaint with the FPPC, she said the school district placed her on leave on Oct. 25. The district later issued a press release stating that an employee was under investigation for allegedly misusing district funds, which the Riverside County Sheriff's Department later determined to be "unfounded." An incident report provided by CVTA in December detailed a deputy's investigation into Carrera, which began in October after the sheriff’s department was contacted by a private investigator hired by the school district. The private investigator was looking into a "possible fraudulent incident" involving Carrera’s use of services at the Riverside County Latino Commission, a contracted provider for the district, for her minor son, who was then a student at Desert Sands Unified School District. "As a direct and proximate result, Plaintiff was harmed; she has been humiliated, suffered emotional pain and distress, mental anguish, loss of enjoyment of life and economic damages," the complaint read.
FBI: Political corruption probe against Chandler councilmember confirmed, closed
March 3, 2025 // Poston and her husband own a marketing company called J2 Media LLC. She was elected to the City Council in August 2022. Public records show that the union spent tens of thousands of dollars on "advertising and promotion" between 2020 and 2022. During those three years, the union spent more than $183,000 on "advertising and promotion," which equates to roughly half of all the cash the union had by the end of 2022. Prior to that time, the union did not spend any money on advertising or promotion, according to filings from 2017 through 2019.
Commentary: Shawn Fain’s Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Year
January 28, 2025 // Last summer, the UAW’s court-appointed corruption monitor released a shocking report detailing an investigation into allegations that the UAW Presidents Office was engaged in misconduct and retaliation against other members of the UAW executive board. To make matters worse, the UAW was also accused by the monitor of withholding documents needed for the investigation. Eventually, a federal court needed to step in to force Fain to hand over the documents, and a new report by the monitor this month announced yet another investigation into the UAW’s leadership. The UAW’s campaign to expand its membership in the South isn’t having much better luck, despite the $40 million committed to it.