In a letter to Iranian President Mahmood Ahmadinejad, James P. Hoffa, General President of the Teamsters Union, denounced the actions of the Iranian authorities that arrested and assaulted representatives of thousands of bus drivers.

“We call upon your government to immediately release the union leaders and members,” Hoffa said in a letter dated December 30, 2005. “The Union of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company has a 40-year history of supporting its members and efficient urban transport in Tehran. They deserve respect from all governmental authorities in Iran.”

The bus drivers, who have gone without a wage increase for more than four years, were attacked by plainclothes members of Ansar Hezbollah during a union meeting on December 24, 2005. Following the incident, the government ordered the arrest of 14 union leaders who still remain in custody.