Hoffa Pledges to Fight for Working Families, Protect Middle Class During Speech at Wayne State University

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International Brotherhood of Teamsters

Apr 14, 2010, 03:20 ET

Teamsters General President Says Mission is to Grow Middle Class

DETROIT, April 14 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, Teamsters General President James P. Hoffa stressed the importance of a strong middle class and labor movement as keys to making the American Dream achievable for everyone – not just the rich and powerful – during his speech at Wayne State University (WSU) for the Labor@Wayne "Labor Leaders on Labor" lecture series.

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Hoffa's speech was the first for the "Labor Leaders on Labor" series, which will become an annual event at WSU. The General President of the Teamsters spoke at length on the current state of labor.

"We must ask the question – what is best for our country?" Hoffa said in a fiery speech. "No country has ever had a strong middle class without strong unions! My mission is to lift as many families into the middle class as possible. Workers deserve higher wages, strong health care and retirement and job security."

Hoffa went on to say that the need for unions and a strong labor movement has never been greater as the country recovers from an era under President Bush that saw workers' rights destroyed while big business was empowered.

"More needs to be done to reverse the damage done to workers during the Bush administration," Hoffa said. "President Obama is doing a lot of good things for workers. From his appointments of Hilda Solis as Secretary of Labor and Craig Becker to the NLRB to his executive orders on Project Labor Agreements and the formation of the White House Office on the Middle Class, he's got us moving in the right direction."

Hoffa also received the "Labor Leaders on Labor Award" for his outstanding service to working families.

"President Hoffa has dedicated his entire career to supporting the needs of working families in America," said Marick F. Masters, Ph.D., Director of Labor@Wayne. "Labor Leaders on Labor is an opportunity for Wayne State University to give union leaders a platform to talk about important national issues, including the state of the labor movement."

Founded in 1903, the Teamsters Union represents more than 1.4 million hardworking men and women in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.

SOURCE International Brotherhood of Teamsters