Shawn Fain, president of the United Auto Workers (UAW), is under investigation by a grand jury for allegedly using his position to secure favors for his fiancée and retaliating against a union vice‑president. A federal monitor’s report, filed by Neil Barofsky, claims Fain’s retaliation was partly because the vice‑president refused to approve bonuses at a training center where Fain’s fiancée works. The U.S. Department of Justice is probing the claims, though no formal charges have been filed.

Fain issued a statement on July 12 saying he would “fight back hard” and blamed UAW vice‑president Rich Boyer for undermining him. He warned that Boyer could be a political weapon in the upcoming six‑way race for the UAW presidency, a feud that has lingered since 2024. Barofsky’s report notes that Fain stripped Boyer of oversight of the Stellantis department, which has about 40,000 members working for Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram.

The findings were part of a consent decree established in 2021 that placed the UAW under federal monitorship after a corruption scandal that jailed former leaders. The decree requires the monitor to report every six months, and the DOJ and U.S. District Court in Detroit are parties to the agreement.