Hoffa, James Phillip (1941-…), an American labor leader, became president of the Teamsters Union in 1999. The Teamsters Union is one of the largest labor unions in the United States. Hoffa has sought to organize new members, negotiate and enforce industry contracts, and improve health and safety regulations in the workplace. He is the son of Jimmy Hoffa, who served as president of the Teamsters from 1958 to 1971.
Hoffa was born on May 19, 1941, in Detroit. Because of his father’s involvement with the Teamsters, he became active in the union at a young age. He received a bachelor’s degree in economics from Michigan State University in 1963 and a law degree from the University of Michigan in 1966. From 1968 to 1993, he was a labor attorney in Detroit, representing the concerns of Teamsters members. From 1993 to 1998, he was administrative assistant to the president of the union’s Michigan Joint Council 43. He won the presidency of the Teamsters in a 1998 election and took office in 1999. He was reelected in 2001, 2006, 2011, and 2016.
