(SCRANTON, PA.) – Jim Hoffa and the Teamsters are poised to begin their sweep across Pennsylvania, hitting work sites and talking to workers across the state about how their votes in the upcoming Democratic primary will have a lasting impact on their jobs, and the national economy.
I’ve created a Google Map that provides the times and places for each stop. You can also see my previous blog for a bit more background.
General President Hoffa will also be meeting with local press and editorial boards, and fitting in national press calls whenever possible. Since news broke that Hillary Clinton's chief strategist Mark Penn was double-dealing American workers -- having Hillary talk about saving jobs on one hand and then lobbying for the Colombians on the other -- Hoffa has called on Hillary to FIRE Penn, not just demote him.
The Teamsters endorsed Sen. Barack Obama and believe that he is the one candidate who will keep his word about keeping jobs in the U.S.
And that's a big issue for Pennsylvanians, just like it is for Ohioans. We need a president who will not only stop these job-killing trade deals, but also renegotiate them, so that they do not cheat our citizens out of decent jobs while enriching the corporate CEOs with fatter profits.
And that's what Hoffa is going to keep hitting on throughout the convoy. The goal is to explain how bad trade policies hurt working people not only in the U.S. but also in other nations.
Look for regular posts here during the convoy. I’ll try to give you an inside look at the foundation of union political organizing -- the work site visit. I'll also try to give you a glimpse at the questions we get from the mainstream media and the answers we provide.
I'm really looking forward to talking with our members on the job and hearing what real Pennsylvanians think about their choice for president.
Stay tuned.