March 24, 2009

(Washington, D.C.) – Former Presidential candidates Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) and President Barack Obama (D-IL) met today with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters General Executive Board during its quarterly meetings in Washington. John Edwards and DNC Chairman Howard Dean are scheduled to meet with Executive Board members later in the week.

“We are looking forward to electing a President who cares about working families,” said Jim Hoffa, Teamsters General President. “There are a number of candidates who deserve the support of labor and will stand with us on the issues that are most important to our members.”

Members of the Executive Board were officially sworn in last week for a five-year term after Hoffa, General Secretary-Treasurer Tom Keegel and the 27 International Vice Presidents and International Trustees on the Hoffa Slate were overwhelmingly re-elected in member elections last fall.

Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE) and Edwards addressed delegates to the Teamster’s 26th International Convention in June 2006.

After his first election in 1998, Hoffa instituted a Presidential endorsement process that includes consultation with the General Executive Board and local union leaders and a mail survey and scientific polling of the union’s 1.3 million U.S. members. More than 125,000 Canadian members engage in a separate process for Canadian elections.

“With the results of the mid-term elections, Congress has already begun the shift to addressing the needs of American workers,” Hoffa said. “It is imperative that a pro-worker candidate win in 2008 to reverse the anti-worker policies of the last eight years.”

Candidates were questioned on a number of issues important to Teamsters Union members including: the Employee Free Choice Act; cross-border trucking; fair trade; health care; retirement security; and, employer accountability under the National Labor Relations Act.