Over 600 Teamster members gathered in Covina, California for the largest yet in a series of organizing boot camps. Union General President Jim Hoffa was on hand to greet the crowd. “You’re here, you’re enthusiastic and you want to be a part of something,” Hoffa said. “This boot camp is standing room only on a Saturday morning. You have the commitment it takes to organize and a vision for growing the Teamsters Union.” Director of Organizing Jeff Farmer commented, “while other unions are retrenching, we are aggressively organizing. In these tough economic times, Teamsters are fighting back – and winning! The best defense is a good offense.” For 2009, nearly 1200 Teamsters attended the 22 boot camps, which included organizers from 170 Teamster locals, surpassing Hoffa’s goal of 1000 new organizers last year.
