The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating United Auto Workers president Shawn Fain over claims he tried to secure financial benefits for his fiancée.
The investigation follows a recent report from a federally appointed monitor, who found that Fain retaliated against UAW Vice President Rich Boyer after Boyer refused to approve bonuses at a training center where Fain’s fiancée, Keesha McConaghie, works.
Boyer is set to run against Fain in a 6-way race for the UAW presidency. In a statement, Fain said the investigation was politically-motivated.
“Let’s be clear about what’s going on here: Rich Boyer has fed the monitor false allegations about me and is now trying to weaponize these bogus allegations to steal the upcoming UAW election,” Fain said in a written statement. “He knows he can’t win a fair fight because he has no real platform to run on.”
The UAW is federally monitored due to earlier corruption scandals.
The monitor claimed that Fain’s removal of Boyer from his role overseeing the Stellantis Department in 2024 constituted retaliation. The department represents about 40,000 workers at Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram.
Fain said the move was based solely on performance.
“The truth when it comes to Boyer is that I didn't want him running the Stellantis department because he wasn't doing a good job for our members,” Fain said. “I wouldn't stand by while he bargained concessions with Stellantis and failed to enforce our contract.”
The monitor, Neil Barofsky, wrote in the report that the removal was prompted by Boyer's refusal to approve bonuses at the Stellantis National Training Center where McConaghie works.
"The Monitor’s investigation substantiated the claim that President Fain acted improperly to obtain financial benefits for his fiancee, and that Vice President Boyer’s failure to approve the bonus may have contributed to Fain’s retaliatory action against him," the monitor wrote.
In his statement, Fain said the monitor has a “political grudge” against him due to his position on Israel’s war in Gaza. The two got into a heated exchange over the topic in February of 2024.
According to emails seen by Bloomberg News, a DOJ grand jury has subpoenaed the monitor as part of its investigation into the allegations against Fain.
Michigan Public has reached out to Boyer, the DOJ, and the monitor for comment.
