From bitter backroom brawls at the UAW to a nationwide roll call of union leaders caught with their hands in the cookie jar, this month proves corruption in labor isn’t just alive—it’s thriving. Buckle up.
There is never a shortage of labor leader misconduct, but this month has been particularly fruitful for news about union corruption.
We’ll begin with the United Auto Workers (UAW) embarrassing themselves with infighting that has curiously exploded weeks after President Shawn Fain, who ran as a “reformer” candidate, received his wish to disband the union’s reform caucus, which was dissolved by a narrow vote in late April. And what is the environment for UAW leaders looking like now? Very messy.
The Payday Report described how Assistant Director of Communications Rachel Gumpert, who holds over a decade of experience as a union officer and comms pro, resigned while accusing fellow officers of retaliation. She further called out Communications Director Jonah Furman and Chief of Staff Chris Brooks, who hold no prior labor leadership experience.
Gumpert labeled Brooks and Furman, both former writers for the Labor Notes publication, as “egomaniacs” with “no real relationship” to the union or its members. She also designated them as ”sycophants” who have “taken the keys” from Shawn Fain and driven the union “straight off a cliff.”
What has Shawn Fain done or said in the aftermath? Nothing publicly yet, but do not drop your popcorn because here’s more corruption to chew on:
- Three LA-area International Association of Fire Fighters officers were suspended following an audit that revealed almost $800,000 of damning spending linked to suspicious record keeping.
- In Philadelphia, UAW officers were ordered to take federal training after pressuring Dometic manufacturing workers to strike. In this case, seven Beck objectors accused union officers of threatening to have them fired if they declined to join the picket line.
- After Big Labor lobbying resulted in Michigan repealing Right To Work, Triple Canopy security guards fought to stop paying forced dues while seeking a decertification vote to oust the United Government Security Officers of America. After a lengthy struggle, the union read the room and withdrew their unwanted representation.
- A Rowell Chemical Corporation worker requested that the NLRB overturn a regional labor board’s “blocking” of a decertification election to oust the Teamsters. The worker further argues that a Biden-era rule that allows unions to file blocking charges violates the Administrative Procedure Act (APA).
- In California, a single mother penned a poignant op-ed about her battle to end forced union withdrawals. She related how the Teamsters bragged about securing contractual 3 percent raises that were wiped out by mandatory contributions to the Teamsters’ “Health and Welfare Trust Retiree Plan.” This worker is asking a federal court to relieve her of paying into a benefit fund that lacks transparency and is managed by a union called out by the feds for running the “most abused, misused pension fund in America.”
To close out this roundup, we will point you toward the Department of Labor’s 2025 mounting list of indictments and convictions of ex-union officers for embezzlement, money laundering, wire fraud, and more. A boundless array of officers couldn’t resist pillaging the cookie jar. Many millions of stolen union dues later, it’s clear that that gravy train of lavish vacations, casino splurges, and luxury goods will not stop until workers collectively realize that union membership does not pay for them.
