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Teamsters’ Vegas Convention Calls for CEO Prosecutions & Union Pension Bailout

Posted by LaborUnionReport (Profile)

Monday, July 4th, 2011 at 8:00PM EDT

Despite the bribery scandals, the dancers, and the jokes about the millions of their members’ dues that Teamster bosses spent in Las Vegas last week at the union’s 28th international convention, delegates did accomplish one thing of note: The delegates passed a resolution that, among other things, calls for a “financial rescue package for struggling union pensions” (also known as the $165 billion union pension bailout).

Following last year’s failure of Democrats (and a few Republicans, like new GOP-presidential hopeful Thad McCotter) to get taxpayers to shell out up to $165 billion to prop up union pension funds, unions have continued to bemoan the fact that they have been unable to dip their beaks into the public treasury as Wall St. fat cats did in 2008.

Meanwhile, as hundreds of union pension funds are listed in critical status, union bosses (including the Teamsters) continue to misleadingly blame the financial meltdown of 2008 for their ills. The fact of the matter is, many union pension funds were already underfunded before the economy tanked.

For example, the Teamsters notorious Central States Pension Fund (ironically, the same pension plan that helped build the Las Vegas strip) was estimated to be only half funded in 2007 when Teamsters president James P. Hoffa reportedly allowed UPS to withdraw from the fund in exchange for unionizing UPS Freight.

I made the following transcript when Megan Kelly broadcasted Hoffa’s remarks again and held the following interview. I didn’t transcribe all of Megan’s remarks.
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Sept 5, 2011 (immediately preceding Obama’s Labor Day remarks)

Hoffa: “We gotta to keep an eye on the battle that we face-—a war on workers. You see it everywhere and it is the Tea Party. And you know there’s only one way to beat and win that war. The one thing about working people is we like a good fight, and you know what, they got a war, they got a war with us, and there is only gonna be one winner, and it’s going to be the workers of Michigan and America. We are gonna win that war.....

Pres Obama, This is your army. We are ready to march. Let’s take these SOB’s [Hoffa uses the full phrase] out and give America back to America where we belong. Thank you very much.”

Brad Blakeman (sp?)(fmr dep asst to GW Bush): I think it’s thuggery at its best. It’s what unions are good at. It’s what we’ve seen in Wisconsin and other places-—intimidation. But, this is the warm-up act? This is the touchy-feely act before the Pres arrives. These are the kind of remarks you’d expect out of Tony Soprano, not a union president. Well..I take that back. A Hoffa presidency is the type of person you hear this type of rhetoric from. The President should repudiate it.

Then idiot Dick Harpoolian (sp?), SC democratic party chair defends Hoffa and basically says the TP does the same stuff

“Is that any worse than what the TP’s saying....these guys are snarling and frothing at the mouth....”

BRAD: When a union pres says, “Let’s take these SOB’s out, it usually means somebody’s legs are going to get broken; somebody’s going to disappear. TP people don’t use that lind to rhetoric and you know thry don’t. If you can’t stand up, Dick, and say what this guy said is wrong, then you are incredible. Don’t deflect and try to bring the TP into it. The TP didn’t say this-—A union president it. He said it before the Pres of the US was going to remark. And btw, it’s not Union Day, it’s Labor Day. It celebrates all American workers, not just unions.

Then Megan remarked about all the libs’ comments (Waters, Andre Carson, etc). Everybody is getting a pass on a piecemeal basis, but collectively do you think it abouts to more, in your view, Dick?

Then Dick mentions Perry and him calling Bernake “treasonous.

Brad pointed a lot of Repubs stood up and said he was wrong to say that. ...People who have this type of hate speech.”

Megan: “Why doesn’t he (Pres) reign in members of his own party...?” Megan then repeats what Hoffa said, and DICK says, “I’m sorry, I just don’t see anything wrong with that. I know it’s touchy-feely time up at Fox News today, but I just don’t...I don’t see what is wrong with that at a rally.”

BRAD: It’s called being civil; it’s called being respectful... and you don’t have the guts to stand up against the President and those who support him when they do wrong.”