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CNN Saturday Morning News
Interview with James Hoffa
Aired September 06, 2003 - 09:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: The disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa is still a favorite subject for many conspiracy theorists. But 28 years since his union leadership ended, Hoffa is once again the powerful voice of labor.
James Hoffa joins Robert Novak in today's edition of The Novak Zone.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERT NOVAK, HOST: Welcome to The Novak Zone.
We're at the headquarters of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., and we're going to talk to the general president of the Teamsters, James P. Hoffa.
Mr. Hoffa, today is the 100th anniversary of the Teamster's Union. What do you have in store, in prospect, for the next 100 years?
JAMES P. HOFFA, GENERAL PRESIDENT, INTERNATIONAL BROTHERHOOD OF TEAMSTERS: Well, you know, it's just a great opportunity to have this 100th anniversary. We have perhaps 5,000 Teamsters coming to the headquarters to participate in this great ceremony of the 100th year anniversary.
We're looking back at our history, but we're looking forward as to where we're going into the future. And that's what people are excited about, because the Teamsters Union is poised for growth and leadership. We've completed the heavy lifting of renewing the union, unifying the union, and now we have to go to the next phase of growth, making sure that we're leaders with regard to social issues and with regard to organizing, which is the biggest emphasize we have right now.
NOVAK: Now, for many years, the percentage of working people in this country who belong to labor unions have -- has diminished. Do you have any prospect for changing that, turning that around? How would you turn it around?
HOFFA: Well, right now, we are concentrating on the Teamsters Union. And our numbers are very good. We have a new organizing program, and, most importantly, we have funded an organizing program by financial reforms. We have money now to go out and organize and partner with our local unions and joint councils.
We see growth. We're also reaching out to other unions. We are going to be merging with the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, 40,000 new members that will come into the Teamsters, growing our numbers internally.
But we really want to go out and get more people at UPS, more people in freight, more people out there in the manufacturing sector, which is a very difficult sector. We're also going into the waste management areas, and a number of areas that we feel have great potential for organizing.
NOVAK: For 14 years, Mr. Hoffa, the federal government has had oversight over your union. Do you think the Teamsters have sufficiently cleaned out the racketeering element that you can handle the union by yourself without help from the federal government now?
HOFFA: I think it's very clear we have. And we're moving on to a phase that -- with discussions with the government, where, I think, we can, in the next period of time, get the government out.
Recently, prosecutor Mr. Chirkaski (ph) made a statement, who was one of the people who investigated us, and he made a statement in one of the newspapers saying that he felt that we were ready.
So we really have endorsements from people outside that know about the reforms. They know how this union has been cleaned up, and they know that we're ready to be free of government rule.
NOVAK: When you came in as president, Mr. Hoffa, you indicated that the Teamsters shouldn't be taken for granted as the lapdog of the Democratic Party, that you should look at both parties. But you have endorsed your old law school classmate, Richard Gephardt, for president. Does that mean you definitely are back in the Democratic fold?
HOFFA: Oh, not really. What it means is that we are going based on what we see out there. We endorse many people who are Republicans and many people who are Democrats.
But with regard to the presidential race, we looked at all the candidates, and we felt that Dick Gephardt was the man that represented labor and working families the best. And he's the best with regard to trade. He's the best with regard to making sure we keep jobs in this country. And he's going to be the best with regard to medical care and making sure that we have a strong working class in this country.
And I think that that's why we're endorsing him. But we're not in the pocket of anybody. We go based on the candidates and the candidates that we feel best represent working families and the Teamsters Union.
NOVAK: Now, you have spent some time with the Republican president, George W. Bush.
HOFFA: I have.
NOVAK: You've been with him on some things. He's not been with you on other things. What's your general assessment? Do you -- can you imagine endorsing George Bush for president if there is a possibility of it, Mr. Gephardt is not the Democratic nominee?
HOFFA: Well, right now, you know, it's difficult to imagine that, because Gephardt is the man, he's the man that's basically has a 99 percent record with regard to representing working families. And it's hard to go away from a guy like that.
And I can't imagine, number one, that he's not going to win, and number two, we're not going to look down the future. We're going to make sure that Dick Gephardt is the man that wins the nomination and wins the presidency.
NOVAK: What's your assessment of Governor dean?
HOFFA: Well, Governor Dean is a very interesting person, and I don't think that he has the throw weight throughout the country. I think he might be popular with the media, and I basically think he might be popular in the East. But I think the real proof with regard to candidate Dean is going to be the primaries that happen in January and February.
And I think that will be the final shakeout, where Dick Gephardt really comes up big.
NOVAK: How would you -- what would you say to your union members and working people in the country about President Bush?
HOFFA: Well, President Bush has not paid enough attention to working people. We have lost 3 million jobs just since he took over, and he's not been aware of it. We've lost 2.5 million manufacturing jobs, and just yesterday, he finally woke up and said, Well, maybe we should start looking and worrying about all these jobs leaving the country, and maybe I should have a cabinet post.
Well, that's like putting a Band-aid on a terrible sore. I mean, this is a major problem that we've been talking about since he got in.
We have a major problem in this country of losing jobs. We have to do something about it. We have to turn it around. And we have to have a president that cares about America, that cares about people in this country, and cares about these issues that send our jobs out of the country.
NOVAK: And now, the big question for James P. Hoffa, general president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.
Mr. Hoffa, the president of the AFL-CIO, John Sweeney, said that Elaine Chow is the most antilabor secretary of labor in the history of the country. Do you agree with that?
HOFFA: Well, I wouldn't say that. I'd say that we have worked with Elaine Chow on a number of issues. There are issues we worked on. I think that the department has to work to be more sensitive to the problems of working families and ergonomics, job safety. And I think they can do all they can in that area.
But she hasn't been that bad. But I think that she can do more with regard to working with working families about job safety and keeping jobs in this country.
NOVAK: James Hoffa, thank you very much.
And thank you for being in The Novak Zone.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired September 6, 2003 - 09:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: The disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa is still a favorite subject for many conspiracy theorists. But 28 years since his union leadership ended, Hoffa is once again the powerful voice of labor.
James Hoffa joins Robert Novak in today's edition of The Novak Zone.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERT NOVAK, HOST: Welcome to The Novak Zone.
We're at the headquarters of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., and we're going to talk to the general president of the Teamsters, James P. Hoffa.
Mr. Hoffa, today is the 100th anniversary of the Teamster's Union. What do you have in store, in prospect, for the next 100 years?
JAMES P. HOFFA, GENERAL PRESIDENT, INTERNATIONAL BROTHERHOOD OF TEAMSTERS: Well, you know, it's just a great opportunity to have this 100th anniversary. We have perhaps 5,000 Teamsters coming to the headquarters to participate in this great ceremony of the 100th year anniversary.
We're looking back at our history, but we're looking forward as to where we're going into the future. And that's what people are excited about, because the Teamsters Union is poised for growth and leadership. We've completed the heavy lifting of renewing the union, unifying the union, and now we have to go to the next phase of growth, making sure that we're leaders with regard to social issues and with regard to organizing, which is the biggest emphasize we have right now.
NOVAK: Now, for many years, the percentage of working people in this country who belong to labor unions have -- has diminished. Do you have any prospect for changing that, turning that around? How would you turn it around?
HOFFA: Well, right now, we are concentrating on the Teamsters Union. And our numbers are very good. We have a new organizing program, and, most importantly, we have funded an organizing program by financial reforms. We have money now to go out and organize and partner with our local unions and joint councils.
We see growth. We're also reaching out to other unions. We are going to be merging with the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, 40,000 new members that will come into the Teamsters, growing our numbers internally.
But we really want to go out and get more people at UPS, more people in freight, more people out there in the manufacturing sector, which is a very difficult sector. We're also going into the waste management areas, and a number of areas that we feel have great potential for organizing.
NOVAK: For 14 years, Mr. Hoffa, the federal government has had oversight over your union. Do you think the Teamsters have sufficiently cleaned out the racketeering element that you can handle the union by yourself without help from the federal government now?
HOFFA: I think it's very clear we have. And we're moving on to a phase that -- with discussions with the government, where, I think, we can, in the next period of time, get the government out.
Recently, prosecutor Mr. Chirkaski (ph) made a statement, who was one of the people who investigated us, and he made a statement in one of the newspapers saying that he felt that we were ready.
So we really have endorsements from people outside that know about the reforms. They know how this union has been cleaned up, and they know that we're ready to be free of government rule.
NOVAK: When you came in as president, Mr. Hoffa, you indicated that the Teamsters shouldn't be taken for granted as the lapdog of the Democratic Party, that you should look at both parties. But you have endorsed your old law school classmate, Richard Gephardt, for president. Does that mean you definitely are back in the Democratic fold?
HOFFA: Oh, not really. What it means is that we are going based on what we see out there. We endorse many people who are Republicans and many people who are Democrats.
But with regard to the presidential race, we looked at all the candidates, and we felt that Dick Gephardt was the man that represented labor and working families the best. And he's the best with regard to trade. He's the best with regard to making sure we keep jobs in this country. And he's going to be the best with regard to medical care and making sure that we have a strong working class in this country.
And I think that that's why we're endorsing him. But we're not in the pocket of anybody. We go based on the candidates and the candidates that we feel best represent working families and the Teamsters Union.
NOVAK: Now, you have spent some time with the Republican president, George W. Bush.
HOFFA: I have.
NOVAK: You've been with him on some things. He's not been with you on other things. What's your general assessment? Do you -- can you imagine endorsing George Bush for president if there is a possibility of it, Mr. Gephardt is not the Democratic nominee?
HOFFA: Well, right now, you know, it's difficult to imagine that, because Gephardt is the man, he's the man that's basically has a 99 percent record with regard to representing working families. And it's hard to go away from a guy like that.
And I can't imagine, number one, that he's not going to win, and number two, we're not going to look down the future. We're going to make sure that Dick Gephardt is the man that wins the nomination and wins the presidency.
NOVAK: What's your assessment of Governor dean?
HOFFA: Well, Governor Dean is a very interesting person, and I don't think that he has the throw weight throughout the country. I think he might be popular with the media, and I basically think he might be popular in the East. But I think the real proof with regard to candidate Dean is going to be the primaries that happen in January and February.
And I think that will be the final shakeout, where Dick Gephardt really comes up big.
NOVAK: How would you -- what would you say to your union members and working people in the country about President Bush?
HOFFA: Well, President Bush has not paid enough attention to working people. We have lost 3 million jobs just since he took over, and he's not been aware of it. We've lost 2.5 million manufacturing jobs, and just yesterday, he finally woke up and said, Well, maybe we should start looking and worrying about all these jobs leaving the country, and maybe I should have a cabinet post.
Well, that's like putting a Band-aid on a terrible sore. I mean, this is a major problem that we've been talking about since he got in.
We have a major problem in this country of losing jobs. We have to do something about it. We have to turn it around. And we have to have a president that cares about America, that cares about people in this country, and cares about these issues that send our jobs out of the country.
NOVAK: And now, the big question for James P. Hoffa, general president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.
Mr. Hoffa, the president of the AFL-CIO, John Sweeney, said that Elaine Chow is the most antilabor secretary of labor in the history of the country. Do you agree with that?
HOFFA: Well, I wouldn't say that. I'd say that we have worked with Elaine Chow on a number of issues. There are issues we worked on. I think that the department has to work to be more sensitive to the problems of working families and ergonomics, job safety. And I think they can do all they can in that area.
But she hasn't been that bad. But I think that she can do more with regard to working with working families about job safety and keeping jobs in this country.
NOVAK: James Hoffa, thank you very much.
And thank you for being in The Novak Zone.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
