Carey’s Lead Dips In Teamster Vote

Teamsters President Ron Carey’s lead dipped slightly Friday as the first ballots from challenger James P. Hoffa’s strongholds were counted.

Carey had 155,078 votes, or 52 percent, to Hoffa’s 142,379 in their election contest. Votes had been counted from nearly 66 percent of the locals, according to Barbara Quindel, the federally appointed election overseer. Canada, one of five voting regions, went to Carey by a wide margin, and he was ahead in the East and the South. The West was a toss up.

But most of the ballots returned came from the central region, where Hoffa is strongest and all attention focused on large locals in Chicago and Texas considered friendly to the son of labor legend Jimmy Hoffa.