Top UAW Lieutenant Got Exposed After Federal Monitor Unearthed Private Messages Celebrating Plot On Rivals

Union bigwhigs talk a big game about “solidarity” and fighting for the working man while their rank-and-file members get screwed.

A corruption scandal just reared it ugly head inside the UAW once again.

Now one powerful union operative got exposed orchestrating a scheme against rivals when federal investigators unearthed text messages.

Federal monitor exposes retaliation conspiracy inside UAW

Chris Brooks resigned as United Auto Workers Chief of Staff after federal monitor Neil Barofsky uncovered his role in a retaliation scheme targeting UAW Secretary-Treasurer Margaret Mock.

Brooks, who pulled down $187,000 annually in his position, worked with then-Communications Director Jonah Furman and former Compliance Director Marni Schroeder to fabricate allegations against Mock.¹

The federal monitor discovered Brooks and his co-conspirators celebrated their success in text messages, comparing the takedown to "epically dunk(ing) on another player in basketball."²

Mock's crime? She refused to reimburse Brooks for pizza purchases at a Volkswagen organizing campaign because he couldn't provide receipts.³

She also declined to approve Brooks for an enhanced corporate credit card that would have let him charge up to $12,000 monthly without union pre-approval.⁴

Federal guidelines don't list the Chief of Staff position as eligible for enhanced corporate cards.

Brooks retaliated by orchestrating Mock's demotion, stripping her of responsibility for 11 union departments.

Barofsky's investigation revealed at least 123 text messages deleted from UAW President Shawn Fain's phone during the time periods under investigation.⁵

The deletions "followed a pattern of selective deletion rather than wholesale removal of conversation threads."⁶

Schroeder already resigned in September after the monitor confronted her with evidence she participated in the retaliation scheme and lied during the investigation.

Furman received a two-week suspension without pay and got demoted from his communications leadership role.

Brooks' radical background raises serious questions

Brooks came to the UAW from the NewsGuild of New York with zero experience working in an auto plant or as a UAW member.

The 39-year-old labor activist belongs to the Democratic Socialists of America and previously praised Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez.⁷

He called police officers "aren't workers" and advocated for "defunding and disbanding the police."⁸

UAW President Fain tapped Brooks as his right-hand man despite multiple allies warning the Brooklyn-based consultant lacked "the experience or personal maturity" for such a critical role.⁹

Former Fain staffers raised concerns that Brooks, described as an "affluent white union organizer," routinely dismissed the perspectives of Black workers.¹⁰

One memo to Fain warned Brooks operated with "lack of transparency" and a "need to control access" that could "severely hurt the UAW reform movement."¹¹

Brooks also blocked release of UAW Executive Board meeting minutes for two years despite his own 2019 article demanding transparency when he exposed corruption under previous UAW leadership.¹²

The hypocrisy is staggering – Brooks rode to power on demands for union democracy then immediately shut down transparency once in charge.

Federal monitor Barofsky found the union created a "culture of fear" where 51% of UAW staffers feared retaliation for speaking about problems.¹³

Union political spending contradicts member preferences

The UAW's corruption problems go deeper than one crooked operative.

Big Labor funnels worker dues into a massive Democrat fundraising machine that contradicts the overwhelming political beliefs of rank-and-file members in many unions.

Nearly 90% of all union political spending flows to Democrats and progressive causes.¹⁴

Between 58% and 60% of Teamsters surveyed supported Trump in the 2024 election, yet union leadership endorsed Democrats despite overwhelming member opposition.¹⁵

From 2010 to 2018, union officials sent more than $1.6 billion in member dues to liberal advocacy groups aligned with Democrats – without prior member approval.¹⁶

That accounts for 99% of union money going toward political advocacy during that period.

The four largest public-sector unions spent over $700 million on election-related activity during the 2021-2022 cycle, with 96% of traceable PAC spending benefiting Democrats.¹⁷

Union bosses enjoy special privileges under federal law, including the power to have workers fired in many states if they refuse to pay dues funding this radical left-wing agenda.

Giving rank-and-file workers the ability to hold corrupt Big Labor brass accountable, without having to fear being fired in retaliation, is one of the primary benefits passage of a National Right to Work law would bring.

Stripping Democrats of that massive political spending machine is another – which is why they almost universally oppose Right to Work law.

Brooks' resignation marks the second top UAW official forced out over the retaliation scandal that has the union operating under federal oversight through at least 2026.

The UAW corruption probe already sent two former presidents to federal prison following a years-long investigation into embezzlement and bribery.

Barofsky warned it's "only a matter of time before abuse and corruption creep back into the union" unless systemic changes take hold.¹⁸

Brooks getting caught orchestrating retaliation against an official who refused his questionable spending requests proves the monitor's warning was dead right.

Passing a National Right to Work law would fix the problem lickety split.

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¹ Payday Report, "UAW Chief of Staff Chris Brooks Forced Out Amid Corruption Charges," December 18, 2025.

² Bluewaterhealthyliving.com, "UAW staff demoted, ousted after text messages reveal retaliation ploy," December 18, 2025.

³ Ibid.

⁴ Ibid.

⁵ Detroit News, "UAW shakes up top staff after text messages reveal retaliation scheme," December 18, 2025.

⁶ Ibid.

⁷ UAW Uncovered, "UAW'S New Face," February 1, 2024.

⁸ Ibid.

⁹ Payday Report, "UAW Challenger Fain Purges Top Allies in Favor of Brooklyn Consultants," March 19, 2023.

¹⁰ Ibid.

¹¹ Ibid.

¹² Payday Report, "UAW Prez Won't Release Executive Board Meeting Minutes for Past Two Years," April 18, 2025.

¹³ Payday Report, "UAW Chief of Staff Chris Brooks Forced Out Amid Corruption Charges," December 18, 2025.

¹⁴ Daily Caller, "Union Bosses Are Betraying The Working Class By Bankrolling Democrats," October 24, 2025.

¹⁵ Ibid.

¹⁶ Union Facts, "Political Money," April 17, 2025.

¹⁷ Governing, "Political Spending by Public-Sector Unions Is Deep Blue," December 15, 2023.

¹⁸ Detroit News, "UAW shakes up top staff after text messages reveal retaliation scheme," December 18, 2025.