(Source: International Brotherhood of Teamsters press release, June 11, 2012)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the Teamsters Union denounced remarks made by Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels during his appearance on “Fox News Sunday,” when he called for the elimination of all public sector unions. Daniels maintained that government “works better” without unions.
“Gov. Daniels’ opinion on the value of public sector unions is insulting to the men and women that work hard every day to strengthen our communities across the country,” said Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa. “His views do not reflect the beliefs of the millions of people who fought against the attacks on the public sector in Wisconsin and Ohio.”
While Ohioans successfully fought off an attempt to strip more than 350,000 public employees of their bargaining rights last year when they defeated SB 5, Indianans have not been so lucky. In 2005, Daniels signed an executive order eliminating collective bargaining rights for public sector workers and under his stewardship they have seen their wages decline while the costs of their benefits rise.
“From the first day he took office, Gov. Daniels has targeted public sector unions and the hardworking men and women that teach our children, fight our fires and protect us from criminals,” said Brian Buhle, International Vice President and Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters Local 135 in Indianapolis. “This is just another example of right-wing rhetoric designed to pit middle-class workers against one another. We must continue to fight back against these attacks on workers.”
Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.4 million hardworking men and women throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Visit www.teamster.org for more information. Follow us on Twitter @Teamsters and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/teamsters.