The IBT slate led by General President James P. Hoffa handily won a second five-year term to lead one of the largest unions in the country. According to the election supervisor, just under 273,000 Teamsters from 713 local unions in the United States and Canada voted in the elections last month.



“It’s often only after elections and when you see results such as these that you see and appreciate the level of support you have across the country,” said Local 237 President Carl Haynes. “It is quite humbling.”

Haynes, who ran for re-election as an IBT vice-president-at-large on Hoffa’s Unity Slate, a national position, received 168,216 votes — the second highest number of votes among the 15 at-large candidates. The Hoffa slate overwhelmingly defeated their opponents at every level. Hoffa beat his opponent, Tom Leedham, by a vote of 174,963 to 92,444. IBT General Secretary-Treasurer C. Thomas Keegal defeated his challenger, Sandy Pope, by 169,765 to 93,627.

Hoffa first won election as IBT general president in November 1998, and officially took office in March 1999. At that time he said the following:

“I knew the journey to rebuild the Teamsters and the labor movement would be difficult. But if we are to build better lives for our families, our communities and our country, it is a journey that we must make.

“The Teamsters are well on their way to transforming the labor movement into a social force that can improve the lives of all working people. To reach our goal, we must engage people in our struggle for social and economic justice. That means reaching out to those in need. We must remind the world that collectively we can make a difference. That one voice may get lost in the crowd, but together our voices will be heard. And when our voice is heard, its impact will be felt around the globe.

“Solidarity is the key to our future, and through solidarity we will prevail in our struggle for fairness and justice.”

In his effort to rebuild the IBT, Hoffa has continued to push the theme of solidarity over the past five years, forming strategic alliances with unions, community and political groups on a variety of national and international issues. In 2004, the Teamsters joined forces with several international unions to create a new labor federation called Change to Win Federation.

Local 237 President Carl Haynes and Secretary-Treasurer Gregory Floyd praised the Hoffa-Keegal leadership for uniting a once-fractious Teamsters organization. “You only have to look back a few years to see how far we have come,” Floyd said. “It’s been in the last five years that Teamster locals across the country have really started talking to each other in a truly constructive way, sharing information and resources and strategizing for better working conditions and contracts for Teamster members. That is a tremendous accomplishment.”

Under Hoffa’s leadership, union membership has increased and, for the first time in nearly ten years, the Union budget is balanced. As a result of renewed solidarity, Teamsters are winning industry-leading contracts, engaging in vigorous contract enforcement and organizing thousands of new members. The union’s renewed commitment to political action includes DRIVING America’s Future, a new initiative that encourages and supports Teamster members running for political office with the goal that Teamsters will have greater influence in state and national government.