Hoffa Suspends Opponents from Union Membership

Hoffa’s General Executive Board held a kangaroo court today and suspended six political opponents from union membership, including Teamsters United candidate Tim Sylvester. Members are gearing up for a legal fight to stop Hoffa’s power grab.

Hoffa-probe-fb-thumb.jpg

Local 804 members voted by 86 percent against Hoffa in the International Union election.

Today, Hoffa moved to protect current Local 804 officials from being voted out of office by retaliating against former local leaders and suspending them from union membership.

Suspended Teamsters cannot run for union office.

Local 804 members have launched the Save 804 Legal Defense Fund to support legal action to overturn the trumped up charges.

The ruling by Hoffa’s GEB clearly violates federal law. Under the Labor Management Report and Disclosure Act, every member who faces internal union charges is entitled to a fair hearing by an impartial hearing panel.

That did not happen here. Hoffa’s own ruling admits that Local 804 officials had predetermined the guilt of all the charged members before any hearing was held. That alone is enough to overturn this ruling in court.

The internal union charges are as phony as the hearing was. Tim Sylvester and other former Executive Board members and Business Agents were charged for taking their unpaid accrued vacation at the end of their term.

No one disputes that the officers and representatives were owed the money for their unused vacation. The expense was reported to the incoming officers.

But Hoffa and his puppets in Local 804 have seized on a routine expense to retaliate against their opponents. They suspended six opponents to prevent them from running for union office.

Members have formed the Save 804 Legal Defense Fund to support legal action to overturn the trumped-up charges and defend Teamster members’ democratic rights.

Click here to donate to the Save 804 Legal Defense Fund.


Related Articles

Hoffa Announces Retirement, Taps Steve Vairma to Head Successor Slate

James P. Hoffa announced today that he will not be seeking re-election in the 2021, in a memo to Teamster officers, locals and staff.

Just hours later, Steve Vairma announced his candidacy for Teamster President. Vairma is the Secretary Treasurer of Denver Local 455, the President of Joint Council 3, an IBT vice president and the director of the IBT Warehouse Division. 

Hoffa Takes Aim at Teamster Elections

Hoffa is retiring as General President at the end of next year, and he wants to take Teamster democracy with him. Last week, Hoffa told the press about a plan to block contested elections for International Union office, beginning in 2026. We can’t let that happen. 

Why Has Hoffa Hidden the Carhaul Contract Vote?

For the first time, the Hoffa administration has refused to reveal the local-by-local vote on a national contract. This cover-up must end: let members see the votes on the Jack Cooper contract modification which was reported ratified on September 12.

Members Challenge Hoffa Takeover of Chicago Local 786

Members and officers in Chicago Local 786 are challenging Hoffa's takeover of their union. They say Hoffa's authorized trusteeship serves Hoffa power brokers in the Joint Council like Terry Hancock, and the former JC 25 President John Coli who has plead guilty to taking employer payoffs and is headed to jail. This summer, Joint Council offices were raided by FBI agents. An investigation is ongoing. 

Coli Agrees to Cooperate with Feds to Get Lighter Sentence

Former Chicago Teamster power-broker John Coli pleaded guilty two days ago, and has agreed to cooperate in investigations in exchange for a sentence of less than two years in prison.

Get Advice Join TDU Donate

Recent News

UPS Specialists: Contract Win Today, Nationwide Organizing Drive Tomorrow

UPS specialists and administrative workers at the Louisville Centennial Hub have ratified an agreement that brings them under the national UPS contract and paves the way for more than 5,000 nonunion admins and specialists nationwide to also become Teamsters.

Can Members Use the Teamster Logo?

The short answer is Yes. Teamsters and retirees are free to use the term Teamster and our union’s logo. But you need to know the Do’s and Don’ts.  

View More News Posts