The accomplished era of James P. Hoffa as General President of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters is coming to an end on Tuesday when he retires from the union after 23 years as its top leader.
Assuming office in 1999, Hoffa took control of a union that was largely in shambles. The Teamsters faced tremendous obstacles – empty financial coffers, dwindling organizing power, reduced political power, no strike fund and federal oversight. But under his leadership, it enacted changes that rebuilt the union and leaves it in a much stronger position than when he arrived.
“Serving our 1.4 million members in North America has been fulfilling beyond what I could have dreamed when my fellow brothers and sisters first elected me in 1998,” Hoffa said. “I am forever grateful for being given the opportunity to follow in my father’s footsteps as Teamster president.”
Building the union’s strike fund was essential to standing up to companies and ensuring strong contracts. Aligning with established unions like the Brotherhood of Locomotive Trainmen, the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes and the Graphic Communications International Union grew union power. And bringing the 1989 federal consent decree involving the Teamsters to a close showed the world the union had its house in order.
Hoffa held a vision of the Teamsters becoming an organizing powerhouse by building a mighty army of well-trained diverse organizers capable of taking on large scale national campaigns and winning. Organizers concentrated on core Teamster industries but also expanded the union’s power through organizing in new industries. The mighty army became a reality in 2002 and has brought in hundreds of thousands of new members since. Building Teamster power through aggressive organizing has become a legacy of Hoffa’s tenure.
Under Hoffa’s leadership, the Teamsters became active in organizing school bus drivers and aides across the U.S. and entered into its first national master agreement with private school bus provider First Student. Additionally, the union has taken on the scourge of misclassification of workers at Southern California ports by companies such as XPO.
Members have benefitted from the union’s increased strength. Wages, health care and retirement security has improved across the board. When he took the helm at the Teamsters, for example, the top hourly rate for a UPS package-car driver was $21.33. Today, that has nearly doubled to $40.85 an hour.
Teamster freight truck driving jobs, meanwhile, continue to be the best in the industry thanks to the package of benefits available. The union also stepped up when needed to assist drivers, including the negotiation of a plan that saved tens of thousands of YRC jobs in 2020.
The union also flexed its muscle on the policy and political front as well. Beginning with the “Battle in Seattle” soon after he became president, the union let elected officials know the Teamsters wouldn’t accept unfair trade deals unless it was fair to workers. That fight culminated with the scrapping of NAFTA and enactment of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement that put the concerns of everyday people at the forefront of the trade pact.
Meanwhile, after a decade of fighting to protect Teamster pensions, Teamster members and retirees rose up and got involved in the 2020 election, ultimately propelling Joe Biden into the White House and a pro-worker majority into both the House and Senate. That, in turn, led to the passage of legislation that saved the retirement of more than 1 million U.S. workers and retirees who were depending on those dollars to get them through their golden years.
And the Teamsters also brought the fight to state capitals, getting involved in high-profile efforts to halt so-called right-to-work legislation all across the Midwest. It was out of these battles that the union coined its “Stop the War on Workers” slogan that continues to be used today, and ultimately helped halt the enactment of the anti-worker legislation in Ohio and Missouri.
“Teamsters should be proud of all we have accomplished together,” Hoffa said. “Completing these key policy goals shows what unions can do when they focus and should serve as a reminder of the power we have when we work hand-in-hand.”
Hoffa has carried out his mission to help workers not only on this continent, but across the globe. He was a former member of the Executive Board of the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) and currently serves as ITF Road Transport Section Chair, fighting for justice for workers against companies like XPO worldwide. He also previously traveled abroad to countries such as China to meet with government and labor leaders.
He will be recognized as General President Emeritus going forward after Teamster delegates voted to amend the union’s constitution last June and bestowed him with the title. He follows his father James R. Hoffa as the only former leaders to be honored with the designation.
Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.4 million hardworking men and women throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Visit www.teamster.org for more information. Follow us on Twitter @Teamsters and “like” us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/teamsters.
