News

Pension Victory

Jim Hoffa

A Message from General President Jim Hoffa

A new administration and a new Congress are in place in the nation’s capital. The Teamsters and other pro-worker allies worked hard to get them there. 

That hard work has already proven successful, but there is much left to be done. 

The Teamsters Union kicked off our “Build Back Stronger” campaign in January, which prioritizes three big issues backed by our membership in the lead up to the November election: protecting pensions, strengthening unions and creating good jobs. 

Protecting pensions has been a long-term struggle, stretching back to the beginning of my more than two decades at the helm with the Teamsters. This union has fought for those who only wanted to receive the nest eggs that they’ve worked so hard to earn for their golden years. 

When a worker is promised a pension benefit after a lifetime of work that promise must be kept. 

Members and retirees told us solving the pension crisis was the number-one priority when making endorsements for the 2020 elections. The union and our members helped elect President Joe Biden and various other worker-friendly politicians, including the runoff in Georgia in early 2021.This dramatically changed the dynamics of the issue. 

In March, Congress protected the hard-earned retirements of more than a million workers and retirees when it approved a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 stimulus bill that included language granting relief to hundreds of endangered multiemployer pension plans. 

And now it’s time to ensure these elected officials follow through on the rest of their promises and deliver policy changes that put hardworking Americans first. 

Already, the Teamsters are seeing signs from President Biden and Capitol Hill that they are listening to our concerns. Several executive orders issued by Biden during his first days in office show he cares about growing American jobs and protecting union rights. 

Taken together, these are all a good start toward creating friendlier worker policies. But Teamsters aren’t done pushing our priorities.