Remarks of General President James P. Hoffa
21st Century Unity Meeting
Las Vegas, Nevada
September 18, 2000

"Unity" is an essential part of what we do. It’s unity in action. It’s

• Unity in collective bargaining.
  
• Unity in organizing.
  
• Unity in politics.

We are delivering for our members. We’ve all learned the hard way that without unity, action is impossible. With it, the possibilities are limitless.

When my administration took office, our union had deep divisions that weakened its ability to serve our membership. It was brother against brother, sister against sister, local union against local union and joint council against joint council.

Employers, sensing blood in the water, started circling us with an eye toward making a kill. But we set about healing the wounds and moving forward. We refused to be shark bait.

Let me give you a few examples. Our first big test was the carhaul contract. Despite record profits, management demanded major concessions. Our members responded by giving negotiators a 96 percent strike vote.

Until just hours before the strike deadline, management demanded a 30 percent pay cut for new hires-and part-time status for up to 20 percent of workers. But with the strength of a united membership, we showed that we weren’t bluffing.

Management backed down, and we won a total victory-

• breakthrough pension gains,
  
• increased job security
  
• and significant wage increases.

That’s unity in action.

Let’s look at the recent China debate. Congress was hell-bent on granting Permanent Normal Trade Relations to the world’s biggest abuser of worker, human and environmental rights. We knew that Congress was ignoring the will of 65 percent of the American people. We knew that PNTR was the last formality before bringing China into the World Trade Organization-a move we protested last year on the streets of Seattle. We know that human rights are more important than copyrights.

When organized labor sponsored a rally on Capitol Hill to say "NO" to PNTR for China, who showed up? ----TEAMSTERS. More than 6,000 rank-and-file Teamsters, on a workday, at their own expense! From Connecticut and Massachusetts to North Carolina.

That’s unity in action.

More than 1,800 brave men and women are fighting an epic battle at Overnite Transportation. This unfair labor practice strike is in its 11th month - and the fight continues. Leo Suggs and the bosses at Overnite are using every trick in the book-and a few new ones-to bust our union.

With the courage of the workers and the determination of our union, we have gained enormous support-

• on the strike line,
  
• in our communities,
  
• and throughout the labor movement.

That’s unity in action.

Unity in action means pulling together at the rank-and-file level. It means pulling together at the local union level. It means pulling together at the national level. Unity in action is one union, one direction, moving forward together. That’s where we are now. And that’s where we need to be over the next 50 days.

There’s a rumor circulating that this is an election year. We must draw on our unity to mobilize our members to action. The stakes this year are extraordinarily high. We’re meeting this week to discuss political action in the new millennium. What we decide and how we act will reflect the core beliefs of Teamster politics.

• Teamster politics means no permanent friends, only permanent interests.
  
• Teamster politics means member-to-member mobilization.
  
• Teamster politics means being beholden to no one politician or political party-only to our members.

When we project Teamster political power, things get done. We must wield that power at the city, state and federal levels. We must raise the level of our political activity at the local union and joint council level.

Here’s what our officers must ask themselves:

• What percentage of our members are registered to vote?
  
• How many of our members contribute to DRIVE?

The Teamsters Union should have the most registered members in the labor movement. The Teamsters Union should be the biggest financial power in labor politics.

Now, we’ve got two major milestones coming up in the next several months. First is the November 2000 election. We must:

• Win back the Congress with a pro-labor majority; and,
  
• Keep the White House out of the hands of those who seek to destroy the labor movement.

Then, we have the June 2001 Teamster Convention. We must work together to make it a showcase of Teamster unity and hard work-to forge a consensus within the union to move forward.

That’s what we must do to win stronger contracts for our members- especially as we approach the UPS contract expiration in 2002 and the Master Freight Agreement in 2003.

That’s what we must do to organize the unorganized.

That’s what we must do to increase our political power-from the grassroots, all the way to Washington, D.C.

Thanks in part to the visit today by a distinguished guest; the whole nation will be watching us demonstrate our strength. It is very important that everybody be here at 4:00 o’clock to welcome Vice President Gore. We’re going to have the entire traveling press corps, including television, and the room must be packed.

We must show the world that the Teamsters are back-and more powerful than ever.

That’s unity in action. That’s today’s Teamsters. That’s why we’re here this week. Now, let’s get down to work. Thank you very much.