In today’s News and Commentary, the Department of Justice opens an investigation into the president of the United Auto Workers, LIUNA speaks out regarding the potential collapse of the former Pfizer headquarters building in Manhattan, and employees at several national parks vote to unionize.

The Department of Justice has opened a grand jury investigation into Shawn Fain, the president of the United Auto Workers (UAW), following accusations made by the union’s vice president and presidential candidate Rich Boyer. Fain is claimed to have abused his leadership position to get special favors for his fiancée and her sister. Boyer also said that Fain retaliated against him following Boyer’s refusal to approve the favors. The investigation comes as UAW is still recovering from a previous corruption scandal which saw two former presidents go to prison. The dispute may hinder the union’s plans as it makes a push to organize Southern auto factories for companies such as Mercedes-Benz, Toyota, and Hyundai. Fain has denied all allegations, calling them “bogus” and framing them as an attempt to sway the upcoming election in Boyer’s favor. “This is what happens when you go against corporate America and their allies, and I’m not going to be intimidated or harassed out of serving our membership,” Fain said.

In New York City, members of Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA) Local 79 rallied near the former Pfizer headquarters on East 43rd Street as the city investigates a potential structural collapse. The union says past safety violations at the non-union office-to-residential conversion project were ignored, calling the July 7 incident a “nightmare scenario” that the union had warned about for two years. Department of Buildings records show several safety violations in 2025 totaling over $32,000 in fines, including $10,000 for falling debris. The project, led by developer MetroLoft, is converting the former office building into roughly 1,600 luxury apartments, making it New York City’s largest such conversion to date. While the exact cause of the July 7 structural failure remains unclear, the union blames “shortcuts and cutting corners.” MetroLoft’s Nathan Berman downplayed the incident as a “typical construction mishap,” drawing sharp criticism from Local 79 organizers, who accused the developer of prioritizing profit over worker and public safety while using non-union labor.

Workers at Grand Canyon, Grand Teton, and Rocky Mountain national parks voted to unionize, part of 317 employees who recently joined the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) in a June election. The new NTEU chapter will cover roughly 650 workers, including rangers, scientists, and administrative staff across 12 park sites and offices in several Mountain West states. Interim officer Peri Sasnett, who works at Glacier National Park in Montana, said organizing momentum grew last year amid federal workforce cuts, noting unionized workers seemed better protected as colleagues lost long-held careers. This comes as part of a broader trend towards unionization. Last year, workers at Yosemite, Sequoia, and Kings Canyon joined the National Federation of Federal Employees, and Death Valley National Park staff will soon hold their own union vote. Sasnett said the new chapter will push for fair treatment, pay, and benefits, but described the broader goal as protecting workers’ ability to do their jobs and care for the parks that drew them to the work.