The United Auto Workers union does not appear to be on the path to sustainable cultural reform, a court-appointed watchdog said Friday in a critical report that raises questions about President Shawn Fain's leadership and the union's willingness to emerge from a corruption scandal that led to two dozen convictions and sent numerous labor leaders to federal prison.
The watchdog, lawyer Neil Barofsky, aired the conclusion in a quarterly report to U.S. District Judge David Lawson, who gained broad control of a deal to oversee the UAW in 2020 following a years-long public corruption scandal. The scandal sent two former union presidents, Gary Jones and Dennis Williams, to federal prison along with several others convicted of breaking labor laws, stealing union funds and receiving bribes, kickbacks and illegal benefits from contractors and auto executives.