Posts tagged Neil Barofsky
Member Apathy and College Students Give Fain a Second Term as UAW President
October 21, 2026 // While the results from the election are currently waiting for certification, Fain appears to have been reelected with about 68 percent of the vote in an election with an abysmally-low turnout rate of nine percent. Notably, Fain performed strongest in regions that have a lower number of union members working in actual auto plants. Fain’s strongest areas were UAW Region 9A, which generally represents university students and lawyers in the northeast, and UAW Region 6, which generally represents students at the University of California. Fain took 76.65 percent of the vote in Region 9A and 75.23 percent of the vote in Region 6.
United Auto Workers president Shawn Fain easily wins re-election
October 13, 2026 // In July 2026, the Department of Justice announced it was investigating Fain over allegations he pressured Boyer, another union official, to provide benefits to his fiancee and sister and then retaliated against him when Broyer refused to cooperate. Fain denied the allegations and characterized them as an attempt to interfere in the election. Fain won his first election to serve as the union’s president as a reform candidate in March 2023. He has clashed with the union’s independent monitor, Neil Barofsky, claiming the monitor was weaponized by his re-election opponent. The monitor was also accused of pressuring Fain over the UAW’s passing of a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
UAW rank-and-file vote to pick union leadership
October 8, 2026 // Fain, who became one of the labor movement's most recognizable figures after leading strikes against Ford Motor (F.N), opens new tab, General Motors (GM.N), opens new tab and Stellantis (STLAM.MI), opens new tab in 2023, faces multiple opponents. Union members are also electing three vice presidents, a secretary-treasurer and regional directors.
Opinion: The United Academic Workers of America
October 6, 2026 // Yet while union workers lose their jobs, the UAW is expanding its administrative ranks. In 2014 the UAW raised dues to pad its strike fund, though much of the money has gone to adding overhead. Mr. Boyer, who is challenging Mr. Fain for president, pledges to “cut overspending,” reduce union dues, and “end the hiring of non-UAW members at excess salaries.” He says the union has added 23 “administrative assistants” and 12 “public relations specialists” since 2020, many of whom make two to three times as much as auto workers. The election is a test of whether the UAW exists to help workers, or the interests of union bosses and the priorities of the university left.
Clashes Cloud Shawn Fain’s Re-election Bid at U.A.W.
August 31, 2026 // At a February 2024 meeting, the board voted to curtail the responsibilities of Margaret Mock, the union’s secretary-treasurer, after Mr. Fain accused her of obstructing the union’s work. Ms. Mock said Mr. Fain was retaliating against her for refusing to authorize some expenses. In May 2024, Mr. Fain removed Rich Boyer, a vice president, from oversight of relations with Stellantis, saying Mr. Boyer had made unauthorized concessions in negotiations. Mr. Boyer said Mr. Fain was retaliating against him for declining to intervene in a workers’ compensation claim by the sister of Mr. Fain’s fiancée, or to approve a cash bonus that would have benefited his fiancée. Mr. Boyer and Ms. Mock had supported Mr. Fain’s first run to lead the union. This year, Mr. Boyer is among five candidates running to replace Mr. Fain, with Ms. Mock on his slate.
UAW ignores federal monitor’s guidance to create budget, track finances
August 3, 2026 // The monitor has also reported on a previous investment blunder that cost the union potentially millions of dollars in unrealized stock gains. Barofsky did not find evidence of misconduct by Mock in that case, but did highlight broad governance and communication failures, including in her office, that contributed to the investment mistakes. The last UAW election, in 2022, was expected to be a reset for the union as it sought to move past a recent history of corruption. But some candidates — including during a vice president debate earlier this week — argue more leadership change is needed. Some raised concerns that Barofsky may seek to extend his oversight of the union beyond the current expiration of early 2027 — oversight that has also been a financial drag on the union, costing tens of millions of dollars.
DOJ Probe Stands to Undercut UAW Election, Organizing Goals
July 22, 2026 // The investigation is something anti-union advocates could cite as evidence that the UAW won’t be a good steward of union resources, particularly in the south where there is already a more hostile environment for organized labor. Organizing southern auto plants has been a chief goal for Fain and the UAW as it battles falling membership. Current numbers stand at about 400,000, down from a peak of about 1.5 million in the 1970s.
How UAW’s Bold Leader Got Caught in New Wave of Union Infighting
July 17, 2026 // Others worry internal conflicts detract from the union’s effectiveness. “We’re in an awkward time, because everybody who was on Fain’s team, they’re divided now, and they’re fighting each other, and that’s not good for a union,” said Tony Totty, president of a UAW local in Ohio, and a candidate for a national vice presidential slot.
Watchdog critic of TARP bailouts plays role in Shawn Fain graft controversy
July 15, 2026 // The DOJ is probing claims that Fain pressured a union official to provide financial benefits to his fiancee and a workers’ compensation claim for her sister, according to Bloomberg. Fain then allegedly punished UAW Vice President Rich Boyer for not approving the benefits by taking away Boyer’s position as lead negotiator with automaker Stellantis. Last month, Barofsky, the court-appointed monitor for the union, released a report about the accusations against Fain. “The Monitor’s investigation substantiated the claim that President Fain acted improperly to obtain financial benefits for his fiancée, and that Vice President Boyer’s failure to approve the bonus may have contributed to Fain’s retaliatory action against him,” Barofsky wrote.
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.