President Obama should “attack” Cupertino, California-based tech giant Apple. At least that’s the official counsel of International Brotherhood of Teamsters Union President Jim Hoffa.
Hoffa calls Apple “unpatriotic” for investing more cash into China than in the US. And Hoffa says its time for President Obama to do something about companies like Apple that refuse to invest in America.
Speaking with CNN, Hoffa tells host Candy Crowley that he realizes it’s cheaper to establish factories and hire workers overseas. “We know that,” he said, while noting that major corporations still “have an obligation to America to build in America.”
“I think the president should challenge the patriotism of these American corporations that are sitting on the sidelines saying, why do we have high unemployment but I am not going to hire anybody?,” Hoffa argues. “You know, they have an obligation just like the federal government, just like Obama. We have all got to get into the game. And I don’t see that happening. So the trillions and billions of dollars that they have on the sidelines, they have money, Pfizer and General Electric, they have trillions of dollars overseas, let’s start repatriating that money. Let’s start a program to get America going again.”
Hoffa says Apple has become another “unpatriotic” American company.
“You can do it here,” Hoffa says with regard to the practice of building factories in foreign lands. “But the answer is, you have to have the incentive. And so many companies like Mr. Coffee and all of these other companies that have closed and moved to Mexico, they are wrong. They are unpatriotic.”
To watch the full interview with Jim Hoffa, check out the clip below.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73_X2y_PQUA[/youtube]
