The Retired Boxers Foundation Reports on the Facts Behind Organizing a Boxers Union. Is the Joint Association of Boxers—JAB— a Teamsters Local or is it a bonafide Boxers Union? Does it matter? Only if the truth is important!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 14, 2003

Simi Valley, CA—On May 13th, 2003, Eddie Mustafa Muhammad announced that he and Walter Kane, an attorney from New York, were launching JAB, the Joint Association of Boxers. The press release quoted Eddie's passion for launching a union for fighters and his collaboration with Walter Kane to create the Joint Association of Boxers. The press release announced the affiliation between JAB and the International Brotherhood of the Teamsters as well as the support of Jimmy Hoffa, Jr., President of the Teamsters, and Senator John McCain.

That same day, May 13th, 2002, the Retired Boxers Foundation drafted an open letter to Jimmy Hoffa Jr., which was posted all over the Internet. Based on speculation that the Teamsters had pretty much hijacked the Boxing Organizing Committee and inside knowledge that the job taken by Eddy Mustafa Muhammad had in fact been offered to three other individuals, we wondered about the legitimacy of the Teamsters involvement in organizing the boxers. We chose to ask those questions publicly because we felt that if the organizers were not being honest with the fighters in their press release, then what do we have? Another bunch of thugs trying to "help the fighters." We knew that if the Teamsters efforts were not genuine, it would set any idea of organizing back another generation. Our letter to Mr. Hoffa basically said, "We do not want you to mislead the professional athletes in the sport of boxing, promising them what others have been unable to deliver for the past one hundred years."

There were three primary questions about the newly formed Union, including whether or not Eddie Mustafa Muhammad had actually conceived and started the Joint Association of Boxing (JAB), if he was on the Teamster’s Payroll and we also wanted to know who "the biggest names in boxing" were as identified in their press release as members of JAB. We also questioned the hijacking of the Boxing Organizing Committee-BOC. Alex Ramos, Founder and President of the Retired Boxers Foundation said, "Our intent was never to discredit Eddie Mustafa Muhammad because he is a great man and a friend. The point we were making is that Eddie was being used by the Teamsters to imply that this was a fighters union. Everything we have read, directly from the Teamsters lead organizer, Danny Kane and his attorney brother Walter Kane, tells me this is a Teamsters union—not a fighters union."

We never got a response from Jimmy Hoffa Jr., but we did get our answers in the form of documents drafted by Danny Kane, President of Local Union No. 202 of the International Brotherhood of the Teamsters that implicate his brother Walter Kane, an attorney in New York, as the Teamsters masterminds in creating JAB. That document is dated April 9, 2002 and appears in its entirety on the Boxing Organizing Committee Website at www.boxers.org. The proposal letter from Danny Kane was in response to several meetings between the Teamsters—Danny and Walter Kane—and the Boxing Organizing Committee. The April 9th proposal is on "Local Union No. 202 Affiliated with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters" letterhead, addressed to Paul Johnson of the BOC outlining "Creation of the United Boxing Association." The first paragraph of the letter says:

"Goal—Create Boxers Union to defend boxers’ interest. United Boxers Association will be run by the membership (the fighters); leadership will be selected by the membership. In order to build an organization that is powerful and can make the demands necessary to gain rights and benefits for professional fighters, the United Boxers Association will need a powerful ally. I believe the Teamsters are a perfect partner and if the fighters show some solidarity the Teamsters will put the proper resources behind this effort."

The document continues by outlining the Structure for the United Boxers Association in four simple steps:

"Step 1. Membership—Initially 20-30 boxers we will need champions and contenders eventually the goal is every licensed professional.

Step 2. United Boxers Association—Executive Board seven (7) members elected by the boxers United Boxers Association.

Step 3. Executive Director someone in the first two or three years appointed by the Teamsters, funded by the Teamsters, and approved by the UBA Executive Board. Must have labor Background and familiar with building a labor organization and have knowledge of boxing.

Step 4. Boxers Organizing Committee—BOC will fall under the jurisdiction of the UBA will need lead organizer Paul Johnson and an assistant to handle ground work to sign up fighters. Funding will come from the Teamsters Union."

The rest of the proposal outlines how the union will be financed—Dues of $22 per month and 1 percent of the fighter's purse. "This type of dues system will allow fighters to pay minimal dues and pay the finances necessary to build the union," says Danny Kane.

The proposal concludes with a list of organizations willing to help, including his brother Walter Kane’s law firm in New York. The last sentence of the proposal says, "President Jimmy Hoffa great asset can help create environment to move this issue. Must convince him that he believes this is for real he will put resources behind the UBA."

According to Paul Johnson of the BOC, Danny Kane explained to them that the BOC would fall under the UBA and assured him that all of the funding would come from the Teamsters. They discussed the dues schedule and representation by his brother, attorney Walter Kane and his law firm.

On May 15th, 2002, the BOC met again with the Teamsters and Danny Kane asked that the name of the organization be changed from the UBA—United Boxers Association, to JAB—the Joint Association of Boxers. This is fully one year before, almost to the date, of the Eddie Mustafa Muhammad press release announcing JAB, conceived by himself and New York attorney Walter Kane. In the meeting on May 15th, 2002, Paul Johnson also said that the BOC expressed their concerns about the Teamsters intent to appoint the leadership (Step 3 of the April 9th proposal), the legal apparatus being proposed was a Teamster law firm and that the union, JAB, would pretty much be a Teamsters Local rather than a separate union. The uneasiness of the circumstances surrounding these concerns ended the meeting.

Paul Johnson of the BOC wrote a letter to the Teamsters President Jimmy Hoffa Jr., expressing his gratitude for the interest and the offer of support the BOC had received from the Teamsters. He also expressed the BOC’s commitment to starting an independent union. Shortly after the letter was sent, Johnson received a call from Jeff Farmer, the new Executive Director of Organizing for the International Brotherhood of the Teamsters, offering his support in following up on the independent union-organizing concept. Farmer complimented the BOC on the work that they had done and said that it was "thorough and extensive." He told Johnson that he would follow up on this organizing concept.

Paul Johnson then received a call from Danny Kane expressing his disappointment that Johnson had written to Hoffa and he was instructed not to speak to anyone in the Teamsters until he (Danny Kane) got back to him. He specifically told him not to communicate with Hoffa. Only one other call transpired after that and it was the last call where the subject of the Teamsters appointing the leadership could not be resolved.

Sometime later, Tom Moran (Tim Witherspoon’s Manager) and Tim, who were both BOC members, were contacted by Danny and Walter Kane to attend a meeting without the other BOC members. At that meeting, Moran and Witherspoon were asked to get JAB union membership cards signed, still implying that there was a relationship between the BOC and JAB. Moran and Witherspoon got cards signed but refused to turn them over to Danny and Walter Kane until the problem of leadership was resolved. After the BOC refused to release the signed union cards, the Teamsters offered Tim Witherspoon the position of President of JAB. Tim declined. The Kanes then called Jose Torres and offered him the same position. Torres declined, stating that he was a founding member of the BOC and was not going to abandon their efforts to preside over JAB.

In May 2003, the Kanes offered the position of President of JAB to Eddie Mustafa Muhammad, and also gave him the honor of being "co-founder of JAB" some fourteen months after Danny and Walter Kane proposed the union to the BOC, and fourteen months before the first conversation with Eddie Mustafa Muhammad.

So, to answer the questions we asked in the Open Letter to Jimmy Hoffa, Jr.:

• The Boxing Organizing Committee, with airfare paid by the Teamsters, met with Danny Kane of Local Union No. 202 of the International Brotherhood of the Teamsters and his brother, New York lawyer, Walter Kane in January 2002.
• The Boxing Organizing Committee met with Walter and Danny Kane to continue previous discussions of the Teamsters helping the BOC launch the boxers union.
• Danny Kane and Walter Kane were the representatives for the Teamsters in all discussions leading up to the union affiliation with the Teamsters.
• The Teamsters propose the boxers union be name the United Boxers Association and later asked that it be renamed the Join Association of Boxers (long before Eddie Mustafa Muhammad ever spoke to the Teamsters).
• The Teamsters refused the idea of an independent boxers union in favor of making it one of the Teamster’s Locals.
• The Teamsters configure the new boxers union in which the Teamsters name the leadership, is directed by the Teamsters law firm representative Walter Kane and is controlled by the International Brotherhood of the Teamsters.
• The Teamsters assert their will to appoint the Executive Director/President of the Union and fund the position (which after offering the position to Paul Johnson, Tim Witherspoon and Jose Torres of the BOC, was eventually offered to Eddie Mustafa Muhammad).

In conclusion, the BOC started the union effort and that effort was basically taken over by the Teamsters, without even a phone call to tell the BOC that there was no intent to collaborate. The Teamsters, represented by Danny Kane and Walter Kane should be credited with JAB and Eddie Mustafa Muhammad was the willing partner, after the fact, to become the Teamsters union leader after three others from the BOC turned down the job. So, did Eddie Mustafa Muhammad have a dream of starting a union? Probably....just like every other professional boxer who could have used one at some time in his or her career or in his or her retirement. Did he conceive JAB? No. He is the surrogate parent, with no memories of conception or delivery. He was there in the nursery after the hard labor and handed a bundle of joy with an inheritance already in the pocket. The question remains: It JAB really a boxers union or is it a tool for the International Brotherhood of the Teamsters to exert control over contracts in Las Vegas and Atlantic City? You decide.

The Retired Boxers Foundation, a 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation started by 1984 USBA Middleweight Champion, Alex "The Bronx Bomber" Ramos in 1995 to help fighters in need, is leading a campaign called "Fighters Helping Fighters" to inspire other fighters to help. Ramos started the Retired Boxers Foundation because of what happens to professional boxers once their careers are over. Because boxing is the only sport that does not provide adequate pensions to fighters once they retire, too many of them suffer in the transition from their glorious days in the ring to a dignified retirement. If you want more information about the Retired Boxers Foundation, please visit their website at http://www.retiredboxers.org. You can email Alex Ramos at JaxFacts@ix.netcom.com.