A federal monitor says UAW president Shawn Fain abused his authority by retaliating against union official Rich Boyer. Boyer made the mistake of pushing back against Fain's actions. Fain denies the findings. This constitutes the least surprising development in organized labor since someone invented the phrase "ratification vote."
The monitor filed a report. Fain got mad at Boyer for disagreeing with him. Fain then allegedly punished Boyer for the disagreement. Boyer probably thought unions were about solidarity and worker empowerment. He learned they're actually about not questioning the guy at the top.
Fain denies everything. He would. Every person accused of retaliating against a subordinate denies it. The denial means nothing. The federal monitor doesn't care. The monitor wrote it down anyway.
Retail traders saw this headline and immediately wondered if they should buy Ford stock. They reasoned that UAW drama might weaken the union's negotiating position. They forgot Ford's stock price has nothing to do with Ford's labor costs and everything to do with whether Jerome Powell sneezed that morning. They bought anyway. They lost money. They always do.
The UAW spent decades under federal oversight because previous leaders embezzled union funds and took bribes from automakers. Fain ran as the reform candidate. He promised to clean up corruption. Now a federal monitor says he retaliated against a guy who disagreed with him. Reform means you wait at least two years before abusing your authority instead of doing it on day one.
Boyer pushed back. Fain pushed harder. The monitor noticed. Fain said the monitor got it wrong. The union will issue a statement. The statement will use the word "baseless" at least three times. Nothing will change. Rich Boyer learned the most important lesson in organizational politics: the guy with the title wins, and you go find another job.
Photo by David Trinks on Unsplash
Leave a Comment