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UAW President Shawn Fain (Deadline Detroit photo)
A new report by a monitor appointed by a federal judge raises questions about the UAW under the leadership of President Shawn Fain, stating that the "union does not appear to be on the path to sustainable cultural reform."
The report, compiled by the monitor, attorney Neil Barofsky, and submitted to U.S. District Judge David Lawson, did say the UAW has made progress building necessary structural foundations for a sustainable ethics and compliance program. But it appears to fall short of what's needed.
"As recent events at the Union demonstrate, a toxic culture of division and retaliation at the highest levels of the organization is preventing the Union from successfully implementing even the most carefully constructed reforms" to prevent corruption, said the report that was filed Friday in U.S. District Court in Detroit.
The federal monitor was appointed in 2021 after the union was riddled with corruption, with two of its presidents and other officials going to prison. Fain was ushered in as a reform candidate.
The report goes on to say:
"The reality is stark: the current prioritization of political infighting and settling personal grievances over meaningful reform are stalling improvement and undermining good faith attempts to complete the necessary compliance infrastructure. Recent experience shows this to be true."
"The Union spent a great deal of time and resources building a Compliance Department that could learn to guide the Union without the need for external oversight. But instead of leading the Union forward, the Compliance Department became a tool for the President’s Office in its campaign of retaliation against the Secretary-Treasurer.
"As detailed in the Monitor’s Twelfth Status Report, and which will be further described in an upcoming supplement to that report, the President’s Office cast aside the Compliance Department’s independence and used it as a Trojan horse to advance false accusations against the Secretary-Treasurer in order to limit her authority to serve as a check on the spending of Union funds.
"This misuse and abuse of the Compliance Department went beyond just diminishing the Secretary-Treasurer’s Office’s ability to serve as a robust check and balance on the President’s Office’s spending power, it also left the Compliance Department leaderless, its reputation diminished, and its independence called into question. A culture that tolerates such actions is not compatible with long-term reform."
UAW spokesperson Jonah Furman did not immediately return a phone call and text Saturday from Deadline Detroit for comment.
Despite the cloudy forecast for the UAW, the monitor, near the end of the report, states there are some signs of hope.
"Despite the myriad challenges facing the Union’s efforts to establish a sustainable culture of compliance, the Monitor has very recently observed some positive signs. For example, with the Monitor’s assistance, leaders in the President’s Office and Secretary-Treasurer’s Office have recently demonstrated their ability to set aside individual grievances and work together in the interest of the Union.
"Specifically, after a dispute arose in connection with the Union’s now-released Fall 2025 Solidarity magazine financial report, the Monitor brokered meetings between the offices to resolve the dispute. Both offices subsequently worked efficiently and collaboratively together and with the Monitor to resolve their differing viewpoints, and ultimately implemented a mutually agreeable presentation of the Union’s finances.
"The Monitor is encouraged that, when prompted to do so, leaders in the President’s Office and Secretary-Treasurer’s Office successfully met and collaborated on a disputed issue. Moving forward, the Union should build upon this recent success, and without prompting, continue to work collaboratively on key initiatives. The Monitor will continue to report on the Union’s progress in this area."
