As Michigan lawyers involved in labor law and policy, we were shocked to see that the federal monitor overseeing the United Auto Workers (UAW)’s return to good governance has twice commented on the union’s positions on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. That matter is completely outside of the monitor’s scope, and his improper interference in the union’s affairs calls into question his ability to continue to serve effectively in this role.

Let’s look at how we got here. In January 2021, a US federal judge entered a consent decree — a negotiated, court-authorized settlement — to resolve fraud and corruption charges filed by the Department of Justice against the UAW, several of its officers, and management figures at Chrysler (now Stellantis). The civil and criminal charges concerned kickbacks, bribery, and other wrongdoing among certain union officers and corporate managers, constituting clear misuse of union funds and members’ trust.

That consent decree led the court to appoint a private lawyer to serve as a monitor to oversee compliance with the decree. It also led to the ​“direct election” of UAW leadership for the first time, after members voted to exercise this right pursuant to the decree. That election resulted in victory for a self-defined reform slate, as current union president Shawn Fain and his running mates won a majority of executive board positions.