Press Releases

Hoffa: House Vote on Policing Legislation is Necessary Step Towards Justice

Black Lives Matter, BLM, March on Washington, DC, August, 2020

Press Contact: Ted Gotsch Phone: (703) 899-0869 Email: tgotsch@teamster.org

(WASHINGTON) – The following is a statement from Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa on the House’s passage of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.

“For too long, communities of color have found themselves unfairly targeted by some in law enforcement. Excessive force is used in too many cases. That needs to stop, and will, when this legislation becomes law.

“Putting in place key reforms like the elimination of racial, religious and other forms of discriminatory profiling by federal, state and local law enforcement; the prohibition of excessive force practices like chokeholds and carotid holds; and the establishment of strong, enforceable criminal and civil penalties for police misconduct, will bring needed equity and accountability to policing.

“For more than a century, the Teamsters have stood up for equality in the workplace. But that can’t stop at the job site. This union supports comprehensive reform that protects the rights of people of color to equal justice under the law while also allowing the vast majority of those in law enforcement who do their jobs well to continue to do so.”

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.