Topic: James P. Hoffa

James Phillip Hoffa (May 19, 1941) is an American attorney and labor leader and the General President of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. Hoffa was first elected in December 1998 and took office on March 19, 1999. He was subsequently re-elected in 2001 and 2006 to five-year terms.

In recent years, Hoffa has led a resurgence in organizing at the Teamsters resulting in a net increase of members in 2007, the first year of net growth in the union in nearly three decades. Recent significant organizing victories include more than 12,000 workers at UPS Freight, 9,000 mechanics at United Airlines and 10,000 school bus drivers at First Student. The union added more than 40,000 new members in 2008.

Hoffa is also a leading voice for fair trade policies and a wide-range of worker-friendly legislation. Hoffa has recently advocated for reforming the nation's health care system and launched a new website called Teamsters for Health Care Reform Now. He also penned a blog piece on the Huffington Post attacking Whole Foods for undermining efforts to win Congressional reform. Hoffa also spoke on the Thom Hartmann radio program about the politics of health care reform.