Hoffa: 'We Held the Line in Indiana'

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International Brotherhood of Teamsters

Feb 24, 2011, 06:14 ET

Hoffa Says Rejuvenated Labor Movement Gaining Momentum

WASHINGTON, Feb. 24, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa today said the national outpouring of support for working families helped defeat a bill in Indiana that would destroy workers' rights.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100127/IBTLOGO)

Indiana Gov. Mitch Snyder, House Speaker Brian Bosma and Senate Leader David Long have abandoned a bill to weaken workers' collective bargaining rights.

"We're not going to let them get away with these vicious assaults on working people," Hoffa said. "These are coordinated attacks funded by big corporations like Koch Industries, whose owners' greed has no limits. Their goal is to drive down workers' wages.

"When working families stand together and say, 'No, you are not going to take away our rights and our dignity and lower our standard of living,' we can turn the tide of public opinion in our favor. That's exactly what happened in Indiana.

"I especially want to applaud the courage of the state representatives who left Indiana to prevent this anti-worker bill from passing. It wasn't an easy decision to make and it wasn't an easy thing to do, but it was the right thing to do.

"We held the line in Indiana and we can hold the line in Wisconsin and in Ohio and in every other Statehouse where these anti-worker, anti-middle class bills are being considered.

"We will fight for as long as it takes to defend workers' rights and to sustain the middle class in America."

Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.4 million hardworking men and women in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Visit www.teamster.org or www.stopthewaronworkers.com for more information.

SOURCE International Brotherhood of Teamsters