Hoffa and Cheney's Role at Overnite

[Nathan Newman]

Interesting article that highlights Cheney's role on the board of
Overnite's parent company, Union Pacific, and Hoffa's close connections to
the GOP ticket.  Hoffa held a big fete for various GOP congressman who are
moderately pro-labor.  For those who have not heard, it also includes info
about the reports of Overnite hiring folks to damage their own terminals
and blame the Teamsters.

-- Nathan Newman
===========================



Hoffa Tipped Off GOP
On Cheney-Related Firm
By JEANNE CUMMINGS and DAN MACHALABA 
Staff Reporters of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL


PHILADELPHIA -- The day before Dick Cheney was named as Republican Gov.
George W. Bush's running mate, the Teamsters tipped off a top campaign
official about damaging accusations that could soon surface against
Overnite Transportation Co. and its parent company, Union Pacific Corp.,
on whose board Mr. Cheney sits.

A union representative warned Mr. Bush's political director, Tony Feather,
of new information that Overnite executives paid workers to damage
property and then falsely blame the union, campaign and union officials
said. In addition, the campaign was told that the union was considering
filing a lawsuit against Overnite, Union Pacific, and its directors --
including Mr. Cheney, the officials added.

Ultimately, campaign officials decided not to pass the information along
to Mr. Cheney, who was formally announced as Gov. Bush's running mate last
Tuesday, said Ari Fleischer, a campaign spokesman. "It was a nice courtesy
call, but we were not concerned about it," he added.

But the Teamsters' decision to confide in the campaign of the Republican
Party's presidential nominee is significant because it demonstrates how
aggressively union President James P. Hoffa is trying to work his
political neutrality to his union's best advantage. Last night, he
headlined a GOP reception where he said: "We're not going to be a union
devoted to just one party. We want friends in both parties." In an
interview prior to the gathering, Mr. Hoffa said, "Our presence here is to
continue our bipartisan approach to politics."

Mr. Hoffa's high-profile appearance here is an embarrassment to Democratic
Vice President Al Gore, who has visited Teamsters on Overnite picket lines
and still hopes to solidify the labor movement behind his campaign for
president. Mr. Gore's presidential campaign spokesman, Chris Lehane, said
the Overnight case demonstrates that "Al Gore sides with working people
while the Bush-Cheney ticket represents the powerful."

Resolving the Overnite strike is one of Mr. Hoffa's most important
internal priorities, since a victory would likely assure his own
re-election next year as Teamsters head. Mr. Hoffa said that he wanted
Union Pacific to conduct an investigation of its trucking subsidiary, but
he wasn't aware of the telephone call.

The strike against Overnite began late last year after the union accused
the trucking firm of failing to negotiate in good faith. Since then, there
have been dozens of reports of vandalism and shootings at Overnite
employees, which company officials blamed on the union. Teamsters'
officials denied the charges.

A day after the union's phone call to the Bush campaign, union
investigators produced an affidavit from a former Overnite driver who said
he was paid to vandalize property and then to swear the union did it.

Carl von Bernuth, Union Pacific's senior vice president and general
counsel, said that he and Bruce Baird, a partner at Covington & Burling,
will investigate the charges. He said the review "has nothing to do with
Mr. Cheney's candidacy.  Whenever allegations are made about illegal
conduct by employees, Union Pacific takes it seriously."

The Teamsters Monday released information compiled from police reports
that several bomb threats made to Overnite terminals had been traced to
people connected with Overnite. Ira Rosenfeld, an Overnite spokesman, said
the company will look into the allegations.