Teamsters president endorses AT&T merger

The president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters endorsed the merger of AT&T and T-Mobile this week, adding another show of labor support for the blockbuster deal. 

Teamsters President James Hoffa backed the proposed merger and said he hopes it would strengthen the labor movement. AT&T's workers unionize but T-Mobile's largely do not. 

Hoffa said in a statement Monday that the merger "means that hundreds of T-Mobile workers will work for a management team that maintains full neutrality toward union membership."

The union card could be helpful for AT&T as it tries to convince congressional Democrats concerned about industry consolidation that the combination is beneficial to their constituents.

The Communications Workers of America and the AFL-CIO have also endorsed the merger.

Hoffa is the son of the famed criminal and legendary Teamsters president Jimmy Hoffa.