Fred Gegare, who has been a vice president at large for the Teamsters since 1998, has announced he will challenge James P. Hoffa for the union's presidency in the 2011 election.


In a letter announcing his candidacy to Hoffa, Gegare noted that over the past four years, he has disagreed with Hoffa on a number of significant issues. "You have forgotten that the membership and leadership in this organization put you in office as general president," he writes.

Gegare especially points to the decision to let UPS out of the Central States Pension Fund, saying that move has led to employers "lined up" to get out of the pension fund, with Central States losing two-thirds of its participants. Gegare is the union chair of the Central States Pension Fund.

He also alleges that the union is experience financial difficulties because of some Hoffa decisions. "I cannot understand some of your decisions in the last four years regarding some of your expenditure that you were questioned about," he writes.

Gegare joined the Teamsters Union in 1972 and served as a steward for five years before being elected President of Local 75 in Green Bay, Wis., in 1977. Eight years later, Gegare was elected secretary-treasurer and principal officer of the local. He took the helm of the National Dairy Conference in 1989 and then the Food Processing Division in 2002.

Teamsters for a Democratic Union, a Teamster reform movement, reported on its website that Hoffa has the support of the majority of the General Executive Board, all of whom ran on his slate in 2006 or have been appointed by him since that time. However, Gegare and International vice presidents Brad Slawson and Al Hobart are not supporting Hoffa.

TDU has not yet announced a candidate or made any endorsement.