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Truth Squad Unmasks Hoffa Lies

Tom Leedham Guest Feb 04, 2006 3:22 AM	Truth Squad Unmasks Hoffa Lies It’s the first rule of politics. When you can’t run on your record, you lie, spin and go negative. That explains Hoffa’s outrageous lies about Tom Leedham and Local 206 that appear in this month’s Teamster Magazine campaign battle pages. The Truth Squad is here to present Teamster members with the facts so you can cut through the lies and spin and make up your own mind. Get the facts about Local 206, membership losses under Hoffa and the big lie about employer funding. The Truth About Local 206 Membership Figures Hoffa charges that Tom Leedham’s Local 206 lost 17 percent of its membership over the last five years because of decertifications. That’s an outright lie. Here are the facts. Much of the Local 206’s membership “loss” cited by Hoffa came when a large Local 206 employer, Food Service of America, moved into a neighboring local union’s jurisdiction. These members are not “lost.” They are proud Teamsters in Local 324. More than 90 percent of Local 206’s actual membership loss is due to companies closing down or moving to another local jurisdiction—not decertifications. In the last four years, a grand total of 42 Teamsters have voted to decertify Local 206. Most Teamster locals that are not predominately UPS or public sector locals have lost members because of changes in the U.S. economy. Hoffa’s own home Local 614 has suffered a double-digit membership decline. In the case of Local 206, aggressive organizing efforts have helped stem the tide. The Truth About Hoffa and Membership Losses Hoffa is lying about Local 206 membership to cover for the massive membership losses on his watch. But Hoffa can’t hide from the facts: The Teamsters Union has lost over 100,000 members since Hoffa took office. The membership additions under Hoffa have come through mergers not organizing. Three mergers added 140,000 members to our union. Hoffa’s spin doctors misleadingly uses these merger figures to cover up for the Teamster membership decline under Hoffa. Teamster organizing wins under Hoffa are down. Mergers may add numbers and benefit our union. But they are not a substitute for strengthening our bargaining power by organizing the nonunion competition. Despite the largest dues increase in Teamster history, the Hoffa administration has failed to help Teamster locals to organize and grow. Tom Leedham will rebate money to Teamster locals to help them organize the nonunion competition. Unlike Hoffa, Leedham will take responsibility for rebuilding Teamster organizing—not pass the buck to Teamster officers and blame them for our union’s membership losses. The Truth About Employer Funding In the same Teamster magazine campaign ads, Hoffa claims that the Tom Leedham Strong Contracts, Good Pensions campaign is “linked to employer funding.” This is another outright lie. Accepting direct or indirect employer contributions is a blatant violation of Federal Law and the IBT Election Rules. If Hoffa had any evidence to back up his bogus claims, he would immediately file a charge with the Teamster Election Supervisor and the Department of Labor. But Hoffa restricts his charges to the Teamster magazine. Why? Because his claims are campaign propaganda and nothing more. Hoffa should know all about employer contributions. The Election Administrator expelled his top campaign operative, Richard Leebove, from the 1998 campaign for making an illegal $167,000 employer contribution to the Hoffa Campaign. Leebove was suspended from the 2001 campaign for hinting to employers that they should donate to Hoffa’s campaign. And guess who wrote the campaign lies about membership losses and employer funding for Hoffa’s battle pages? You got it. Richard Leebove. Keep lying and spinning, Hoffa. The Truth Squad is watching. Sources: U.S. Department of Labor LM-2 Reports filed by the Hoffa administration. Decisions of the Election Administrator.
decertification Guest Feb 04, 2006 6:03 AM	The boys at Office Environments were smart enough to realize that they were getting no representation from Johnny Perry and promptly decertified from Local 82. Now they have an extra 50 bucks in their pocket at the end of the month. When is Casey & Hayes, Walsh's, etc., going to realize the same and stop supporting the Perry's entire existence. The shows are surviving on the wave that Billy Dodd created but will soon crash under the Perrys. The signs and ballrooms have already been given away and non-union A/V companies continue to build and dismantle displays right on the show floor in full view of Perry. In fact Perry allowed Aramark Food Co. to assemble and drape 150 Freeman tables as a "favor" to who I might ask? When are the members of this Union finally gonna grow some nuts and stop being Perry's bitches?
Anonymous Guest Feb 04, 2006 6:15 AM	favortism is akin to corruption.SAY IT AINT SO UNCLE JOHNNY