latestpolitics.com, by Josh Gerstein, 6 Apr 200

The announcement from Senator Clinton's presidential campaign that Mark Penn has resigned as chief strategist is not enough to assuage one of Mr. Penn's top critics in the labor movement. The president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, James Hoffa, said through an aide tonight that the change is of little significance, since Mr. Penn will continue to advise and poll for Mrs. Clinton's presidential bid.

"Demotion doesn't answer General President Hoffa's concerns. Mark Penn is still on her payroll and Burson-Marsteller's payroll," a spokeswoman for Mr. Hoffa, Leigh Strope, said. "Title demotion doesn't indicate loss of influence."

In a statement on Friday, Mr. Hoffa called for Mr. Penn's ouster. "Someone like Mark Penn should not be dictating strategy, and possibly legislation, for a Democratic candidate for president," the Teamster leader said.

The Teamsters have endorsed Mrs. Clinton's rival for the Democratic nomination, Senator Obama of Illinois. While the recent criticism of Mr. Penn was triggered by a report in the Wall Street Journal that he met with Colombia's ambassador to discuss strategy to promote the country's free trade deal with America, the Teamsters' issues with Mr. Penn go beyond the trade deal. They are also at odds over Burson-Marsteller's work on behalf of Cintas Corp., which the Teamsters and another union, Unite Here, have been attempting to organize for years.