Supreme Court Strikes A Blow To Government’s Union Favoritism
Most Americans have the horse sense to distance themselves from organized labor’s foibles. The government shouldn’t gainsay them.Most Americans have the horse sense to distance themselves from organized labor’s foibles. The government shouldn’t gainsay them.UAW president faces probe over alleged retaliation, obstruction of federal investigation
United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain is under investigation for alleged retaliation against other union leaders, according to a Monday court filing,Reuters reported.
The union's secretary-treasurer, Margaret Mock, was reportedly stripped of her duties for allegedly "engag[ing] in misconduct while carrying out her financial oversight responsibilities." However, Mock claimed the accusations were false and instead insisted that Fain retaliated against her because she was reluctant to authorize "certain expenditures" from Fain's office, the filing revealed.
'Sometimes you have to rock the boat.'
Fain also accused Rich Boyer, the leader of the union's Stellantis department, of "dereliction of duty" regarding a collective bargaining issue. The court filing indicated that Fain was again accused of retaliation for stripping Boyer's duties.
Independent federal monitor Neil Barofsky opened an investigation into the allegations against Fain, Mock, and Boyer.
Barofsky claimed that Fain and other union leaders have obstructed the ongoing investigation, citing a "lapse in cooperation" after the UAW failed to produce requested documents in a timely manner. The court filing showed that the union handed over 2,600 of the estimated 116,000 relevant documents.
Fain encouraged the monitor "to investigate whatever claims are brought to their office, because we know what they'll find: a UAW leadership committed to serving the membership, and running a democratic union."
"Taking our union in a new direction means sometimes you have to rock the boat, and that upsets some people who want to keep the status quo," Fain remarked.
The Department of Justice claimed that the union is "making it difficult, if not impossible, for the Monitor to fulfill his mandate to remove fraud, corruption and illegality from within the UAW."
Barofsky was appointed federal monitor in 2021 after DOJ investigations resulted in the convictions of several former union leaders on corruption charges.
The UAW declined to comment, Reuters reported.
Earlier this year, the UAWendorsed President Joe Biden for re-election. The union also backed the administration's"strongest-ever" vehicle emission standards and rejected claims that the restrictions would slash union jobs.
"We reject the fearmongering that says tackling the climate crisis must come at the cost of union jobs. Ambitious and achievable regulations can support both. We call on the Biden Administration to hold automakers accountable so that this rule is not used as an excuse to cut or offshore jobs," the UAW stated in March.
Despite the union's claims, Stellantis announced last year that it was planning layoffs partly due to "the need to manage sales of the vehicles they produce to comply with California emissions regulations that are measured on a state-by-state basis."
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'A great majority of our members will not vote for President Biden': UAW president makes strange admission after endorsing Biden
The same day the United Auto Workers union officially endorsed President Joe Biden for re-election, the union president admitted that a "great majority" would not be voting for Biden in the 2024 presidential election.
During his endorsement of Biden, UAW President Shawn Fain said that the autoworkers faced a choice between supporting "someone who stands up with us and supports our cause" in President Biden or "someone who will divide us and fight us every step of the way" in President Trump.
"If our endorsements have to be earned, Joe Biden has earned it," he added, according to the BBC.
However, the union leader also told Fox News that same day that a "majority" of members would not vote for Biden.
Speaking to host Neil Cavuto on Fox Business, Fain reiterated his belief that Biden is a better representation of his union.
"President Biden stood there with us on the picket line, unlike President Trump in 2019 when GM was on strike for 40 days and he was completely nonexistent. He was silent on the issue," Fain told the host.
"It's very clear to us who stands with working-class people in this country and who stands against them," he added.
.@UAW President Shawn Fain on endorsing Biden for re-election in 2024— (@)
However, after Cavuto pointed out that Republican Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush had benefited from the union vote in the past, the UAW president seemed to admit that he didn't think a majority of his union members would vote to re-elect Biden.
"Many of your own members now, Shawn, are very big Trump supporters. ... A good many of them are at Trump rallies and are MAGA enthusiasts; how do you feel about that?" Cavuto asked.
"It's democracy in action. Look, let me be clear about this, a great majority of our members will not vote for President Biden; yes, some will. But that's the reality of this," Fain stated.
"The majority of our members are going to vote their paychecks, they're going to vote for an economy that works for them, and they're going to vote for a president — when you look at these two presidents, the choice is very clear about which one stands up with the working class and stands up for labor and which one stands for the billionaire class, and that's his base."
UAW Union Boss and Joe Biden lackey Shawn Fain admits that the vast majority of his rank-and-file membership will be voting Trump:\n\n"A great majority of our members will not vote for President Biden...the majority of our members are going to vote their paychecks."— (@)
Fain declined to agree with the host that electric vehicles were being pushed by manufacturers despite the automobiles not hitting projected sales numbers. He also stated that the UAW are strong environmentalists.
This, despite auto giant Ford recently cutting production of its electric F-150 Lightning trucks in half.
In 2023, Fain helped the UAW secure a 25% general wage increase and a 150% increase for temporary workers over the life of their new contract. Additionally, the automaker's starting wage increased by about 68% and its top wage by roughly 33% through the new agreement.
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