FC: Teamsters reportedly prepared to endorse TIPS informant plan

[Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>]

The person who sent this to us is a Washington reporter I know and trust. 
Previous Politech message: http://www.politechbot.com/p-03799.html

The Teamsters union (http://www.teamster.org/about/division.htm) is 
composed of millions of workers, including flight attendants, pilots, 
parking attendants, construction workers, truck drivers, mechanics, 
manufacturing workers, police, city bus drivers, local government clerks, 
convention workers, hotel workers, zookeepers, and so on.

That's a lot of potential informants.

I invite the Teamsters to reply. Also note that a Washington Times report 
in June (http://www.washtimes.com/national/20020614-90235042.htm) pointed 
to Hoffa's warm relationship with Bush. Though I should note that according 
to a news report in May, the Teamsters were not rushing to endorse 
Operation TIPS:
http://www.progressive.org/May%202002/berk0502.html

-Declan

---

Date: Sat, 3 Aug 2002 09:24:12 -0700 (PDT)
From: [deleted per request]
Subject: Teamsters to push TIPS?
To: declan () well com

Declan,

I don't report on this myself, but thought it would be
good for Politech.

Teamsters President James Hoffa, Jr. is preparing to
endorse the Bush administration's TIPS plan, according to
Washington sources close to the labor union. Teamsters is
the largest union in the U.S. and its members include
United Parcel Service (UPS) workers. The decision of the
Teamsters to back TIPS is solely Hoffa's, and no union vote
was taken, or is planned, the source said. Many Teamsters
are more left-of-center and are unhappy with Hoffa's close
relationship with Republicans and the Bush White House and
view his pending endorsement of TIPS as an attempt to win
favor with Bush, the source said. Of course, it is unclear
what type of support this move would actually receive from
individual Teamsters. But a publice endorsement would be ominous.




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