Questions Linger as Hoffa Takes Helm
The answer to that will go a long ways toward determining whether the Teamsters will ever be free
f oversight by the federal government.
The candidate seems anxious to put some distance between himself and the union’s corrupt past.
While his charismatic father, Jimmy Hoffa, once wielded enormous power over a highly regulated trucking industry and wage increases were simply passed along to shippers in the form of higher freight rates, Mr. Hoffa leads a union that represents a much broader cross-section of workers and a shrinking number of truck drivers in a highly competitive industry.
“James R. Hoffa is revered because he put our members in the middle class. He pioneered national contracts. He was a visionary. We recognize that,” Mr. Hoffa said. “He disappeared in 1975. This is a new era, a new generation.”
Reaction to Mr. Hoffa’s victory from trucking industry officials is mixed. Some are concerned about his lack of experience in negotiating contracts. Others are worried that Mr. Hoffa will take a more confrontational approach to settling disputes.
During the campaign, Mr. Hoffa consistently criticized the National Master Freight Agreement, although he did not give specifics.
Thomas P. Krukowski, a Milwaukee-based attorney specializing in labor issues, said Mr. Hoffa’s rhetoric about a “new militancy” in the union is misguided.
“They must find a way to tell employers, especially in trucking, that they can work with you to operate efficiently and profitably. That’s what shippers want. And that’s what creates job security.”
A hard line in negotiating contracts will likely lead to more bankruptcies and lost jobs, Mr. Krukowski said. That, in turn, will worsen the union’s financial picture.
The Teamsters are by far the most active union in terms of organizing, but the union has not always converted its activism into contracts.
According to Mr. Krukowski, out of 394 representation elections won by the Teamsters in 1997, only 35 have resulted in signed contracts.
That’s not surprising, he said, because many employers respond to union organizing campaigns by communicating better with employees and making adjustments in pay and benefits to be more competitive.
The Teamsters tend to be most effective among smaller bargaining units.
The union won 54.4% of representation elections among groups of 25 people or fewer but only 33.3% of elections with larger groups in the first six months of 1998, according to data collected by the Labor Relations Institute, Broken Arrow, Okla.
Institute President Donald P. Wilson said he is doubtful that the Teamsters will have more success organizing under Mr. Hoffa.
“He has name recognition. That has some marquee value,” he said. “But it is also a negative. For every potential voter who views Hoffa in a positive way, three could be persuaded to view him negatively because of the past mob connection.”
For the full story, see the Dec. 14 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.
