"What's going on in this country? Unions stand against those trends. We've got to somehow insulate the robust American economy from this global economy that seems to want to devour our standard of living"

This quote by James P. Hoffa is referring to the existing state of the American economy and how it is being affected by the international economy. He is revealing issue about the trends that are occurring in the US and how unions are withstanding them. He is suggesting that the United States requires to safeguard its economy from the worldwide economy, which he thinks is attempting to decrease the standard of life in the United States. He is advocating for unions to take a stand and defend the rights of American workers and to make sure that their standard of living is not diminished. He believes that unions are the very best way to protect the American economy from the global economy and to ensure that the US remains a flourishing nation.