DETROIT — UAW President Ray Curry was cleared of wrongdoing relating to the use of pricey college football tickets provided by a vendor, an outside ethics officer said Thursday, although the incident has prompted a policy change within the union.
Curry, before he was president, used $1,900 worth of tickets obtained as part of an advertising purchase to attend the 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship game between Alabama and Clemson. After receiving a tip about the issue, court-appointed monitor Neil Barofsky in November disclosed he had referred the case to the union’s ethics officer after deciding not to bring charges himself.
Following the disclosure, Curry, in an email to members, said he had voluntarily repaid the value of the tickets used by himself and three other union officials.
The ensuing investigation by ethics ombudsman Exiger LLC “found no evidence Mr. Curry violated UAW policies or otherwise acted unethically,” noting that Curry “provided a reasonable explanation as to why he was in Florida in January 2017 and the tickets he obtained to the January 9, 2017 game were incidental to this trip.”
Still, the report noted potential room for abuse.
“Although Mr. Curry’s one time use of the tickets did not violate the UAW Constitution or policies in place at the time, the use by a high-ranking UAW official of tickets purchased as part of a UAW advertising purchase could create a negative perception,” the report said. “Further, absent checks on this practice, there is the potential for abuse.”
The Detroit Free Press first reported the ethics officer’s findings earlier Thursday. A UAW spokesman said Curry would issue a statement to members in a letter later in the day.
UAW officials, the report said, have updated an internal policy to now prohibit the union from entering into contracts that include the provision of tickets to entertainment or sporting events. The union’s International Executive Board approved the policy change in September.
In updating the policy, “the UAW has taken appropriate measures to avoid any appearance or suggestion of impropriety by union officials,” the report said. “It is now up to the UAW to ensure that everyone at the union both understands and abides by this policy going forward.”
The union is in the midst of a six-year period of oversight as part of a settlement with the federal government related to a yearslong corruption scandal.
