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United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain and other union leaders are under investigation for allegations of retaliation and financial misconduct, an independent monitor detailed in a report, saying the union has "slow-rolled" access to documents for the probe.

UAW President Faces Probe Over Retaliation Claims :  Independent Monitor's Report

Monitor Neil Barofsky issued the ninth status report from Michigan federal court Monday, stemming from a consent decree over the UAW's corruption scandal with Fiat Chrysler. Barofsky, a partner at Jenner & Block LLP, said the UAW has recently been uncooperative in his investigations into alleged financial misconduct and retaliation by union leaders.

"The monitor has attempted for months to garner the union's cooperation in gathering the information needed to conduct a full investigation, but the union has effectively slow-rolled the monitor's access to requested documents," the report stated.

Allegations Against UAW Leaders

The monitor launched a probe into claims involving Fain and UAW's Secretary-Treasurer Margaret Mock. According to the report, the union's International Executive Board "passed a motion" that supported Fain in stripping Mock of her field assignments and implementing certain policy changes. These actions were in response to allegations that Mock had engaged in misconduct during her financial oversight responsibilities.

Mock alleged that this stripping of her power was retaliatory after "her refusal or reluctance to authorize certain expenditures of funds at the request of and/or for the benefit of those in the president's office," the report noted.

UAW President Faces Probe Over Retaliation Claims : Retaliation and Financial Misconduct

The investigation also included claims that Fain retaliated against a UAW vice president by removing the vice president's oversight of the Stellantis department. The vice president and some union staff claimed that Fain took these actions because the vice president wouldn't "engage in acts of financial misconduct to benefit others," according to the report. Additionally, the monitor is probing allegations of a union regional director's embezzlement.

Union's Response to Document Requests

The UAW "has justified its delays by advancing arguments about privilege," the monitor said, explaining that the Department of Justice and the monitor have previously contested these claims.

"The union's arguments for delaying, and potentially denying, the monitor's access to documents marks a shift in its position on cooperation," the monitor stated.