Teamsters Write Ahmadinejad

Teamsters: Press Release

JAMES P. HOFFA
General President

C. THOMAS KEEGEL
General Secretary-Treasurer

25 Louisiana Avenue, NW
202.624.6800
Washington, DC 20001

December 30, 2005

President Mahmood Ahmadinejad
Islamic Republic of Iran
Tehran
IRAN

Dear President Ahmadinejad:

On behalf of the 1.4 million men and women of the International Brotherhood of
Teamsters, I write to denounce the arrest of fourteen members of the Union of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company (Sandikaye Kargarane Sherkate Vahed Autobus Raniehn Tehran Va Hoomeh).

A recent union meeting was disrupted by plainclothes members of the Ansar Hezbollah who badly beat up many union members. Your government took no action against the aggressors.

On December 22, agents from the Office of the Prosecutor arrested and detained at least fourteen members of the union.

These arrests clearly violate international labor standards regarding freedom of association and freedom of expression. They also contradict your campaign pledges to encourage justice and assist working people in your country.

We call upon your government to immediately release the union leaders and members and negotiate in good faith with the Union of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company, whose members have not had a wage increase in over four years. The Union has a forty year history of supporting its members and efficient urban transport in Tehran; they fully deserve respect from all governmental authorities in Iran.

Sincerely,

James P. Hoffa
General President

cc: Dr. Javad Zarif, Permanent Representative of the I.R. of Iran to the United Nations
Interest Section of the I.R. of Iran to the United States
David Cockroft, General Secretary, International Transport Workers Federation
Patrick Del Vecchio, Director, DRL/IL, U.S. Department of State

This is an important development. International union support for the Iranian workers in an important signal to the Iranian people that they are not alone. Hat Tip to Banafsheh.