Tom Leedham, head of a Teamsters local in Oregon, is taking on the biggest name in labor: Hoffa. Mr. Leedham is seeking to unseat James P. Hoffa, the president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and the son of the nation's most famous (or infamous) union leader, James R. Hoffa, who disappeared in 1975 outside a restaurant in Detroit. Even though Mr. Leedham faces an uphill battle, on Friday night he was able to claim a victory in one round at least, as Mr. Hoffa dodged the one debate that was scheduled between the two sides.
See "Hoffa Chooses to Skip Teamsters Election Debate", Steven Greenhouse, The New York Times, August 27, 2006