James P. Hoffa easily won a fourth five-year term a president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters last week, winning 60% of the 230,000-plus votes.

Challengers Fred Gegare and Sandy Pope received 23% and 17% of the vote, respectively. Turnout was the lowest since the union's members won the right to elect top officers directly.

While there were 13,457 challenged ballots, the margin of victory, at more than 83,000 votes, mean those challenged ballots do not need to be resolved.

Hoffa has been president since 1999. Ken Hall was elected general secretary-treasurer, earning more than double the votes of the nearest challenger.

"The members have spoken," Hoffa said. "This is not just our slate's victory but a victory for all working Americans who are fighting to save America's middle class. We traveled across this country to mobilize our members to fight the right-wing attack on workers. Teamster members responded because they know it is not workers who are to blame for the crisis facing America - it is the greed and corruption of big business and Wall Street and their bought and paid for puppets in Congress.

"Now that this election is completed we will intensify our efforts in the fight for all working families," Hoffa added. "The Teamsters strength is in organizing the unorganized, fighting for strong health care, good wages, secure retirement, and holding employers and politicians accountable."