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Hoffa—The Leading Voice for Working Families
Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa made the rounds of several network TV and radio programs while attending the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C. in September. Kicking off just after Labor Day, Hoffa brought a strong union voice to the syndicated talk shows.
Hoffa began with the PBS NewsHour where he was a guest alongside Lee Saunders, President of the American Federation of Federal, State, County and Municipal Employees, and Mary Kay Henry, President of the Service Employees International Union.
“We are 100 percent behind President Obama and the Democratic Party. There is a war on workers and the Republican Party is trying to take us out. We are targeted because we are the backbone of the progressive movement in this country. But this is just going to mobilize our members to fight back and win this election in November.”
On MSNBC’s Morning Joe, Hoffa sparred with host Joe Scarborough when he asked what the Republican Party could do to reach out to unions. “The problem with the Republican Party is that they have veered to the right,” Hoffa said. “At their convention they talked about how positive it was to be against unions and workers. They talked about how they supported national right to work for less and getting rid of project labor agreements. They are anti-labor.”
On the radio show First Shift with Tony Trupiano, Hoffa said, “We are growing, and the economy is getting better. Over 200,000 people are getting back to work, but we have a big job ahead of us. This is an important election because there is a choice; on the one hand you have a group that wants to take away Social Security benefits, they want tax cuts for the rich, to take away unemployment benefits and food stamps.”
On MSNBC’s Ed Schultz Show, Hoffa emphasized how, “You should vote your pocketbook. Republicans are trying to destroy unions, your health care, your pension,” he said. “We need people to understand that we stand on the shoulders of the union members who came before us. We need to vote for people who really care about us.”