Where Do Hoffas Tactics Fit in a Mob-Free Teamsters Union?
by KEN PAFF The Teamsters union has released a voluminous report that purports to demonstrate that the union is virtually corruption-free. The report documents that mob influence in our union is on the decline. But it fails to make its central case: that the leadership of James Hoffa is cleaning up the Teamsters union. The report’s omissions speak volumes on this point. In all 526 pages, you never learn that Hoffa’s special assistant was expelled from the Teamsters earlier this year for attempting to cut a sweetheart deal in Las Vegas to undermine the wages and working conditions of Teamster members. Nor do you learn that Hoffa’s first running mate was expelled for the same corrupt scheme. Or that his current executive assistant was likewise implicated in the scandal, though not charged. You will not find out that Hoffa’s life-long friend and aide, Mike Bane of Pontiac, was recently removed from the union for giving false testimony about his organized crime associations. Or that other
