Introduction
Hoffa was a known labor activist leader in the U.S. As a result of his labor relation activist work, he became the leader of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters for three consecutive terms between 1957 and 1971( Sheridan, 1972) . People who worked with Hoffa says that he was among the most controversial labor organizers during the mid-20 th century.
Born in Brazil, Indiana in 1913, Hoffa later moved with his family to Detroit Michigan after the death of his father. Hoffa was forced to drop out of school at the age of 14 years. He started working to help provide for his family ( Hoffa, 1975) . In 1932 he worked in a grocery chain where the working conditions were poor and wages paid were substandard. Hoffa led his fellow employees to organize a union to fight for a better working environment. Hoffa left the grocery chain and was invited to become an organizer for Local 299 Teamsters in Detroit ( Smith, 2001) . It is through the work that he worked in IBT until he became the president of the group.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Hoffa was a brave young man which is one of the reasons the other employees at the grocery store chose him as an organizer at his teenage. Hoffa self-expression abilities and creativity made him a great leader who fought for unionization of truck drivers in 1940s and 50s ( Russell, 2003) . Hoffa was always optimistic and mastered the art of overcoming setbacks. Hoffa was an outstanding labor organizer that never lived to his ability because of his controversial life. The reason for his choosing Hoffa for this research paper is to evaluate his achievements as a labor leader and the reasons why he never attained his full capabilities as a leader.
Research Question
What made Jimmy Hoffa a great labor relations leader but was detested by his followers?
Hypothesis
If Jimmy Hoffa focused on organizing labor unions then he would have become the greatest labor leader in the 20 th century.
Analysis and findings
Hoffa rise to power
After working as a grocery store attendant he left to join the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT). Hoffa joined IBT as an organizer of a local 299 teamsters group in Detroit in 1930s. From his exceptional leadership skills in organizing the union, he became Detroit’s union’s chapter ( Moldea, 1993) . During his early years in Detroit he worked aggressively with ambitions. Hoffa worked hard for the Union and expanded it and negotiated work contracts for his members.
Hoffa established links with organized crime in the 1940s. His connection with gangsters played a major in scaring rival union like Congress of Industrial Unions (CIO). Hoffa was protected by the mob and his words were respected because other people feared the implicit threat of attack by the mob. The mobsters were allowed to intimidate business owners in paying their tributes. If business owners failed to pay tribute truck drivers could go out on strike which forced all businesses to stop.
Hoffa’s hard work paid when he became the vice president of the Union. During his tenure as a vice president, the Headquarters of the union were moved to the Nation’s Capital Washington, in 1955. During this time the union expanded to other states and its membership was rising. Five years later in 1957, Hoffa replaced Dave beck as the president of the Teamsters ( Moldea, 1993)
Hoffa’s Achievements
During Hoffa’s second tenure as a president in 1961 that he was able to expand the Teamsters Union nationwide. Hoffa’s most outstanding achievement was in 1964 where he was able to bring almost all truck drivers in North America under the National Master Freight Agreement ( James, & James, 1965) . During this time the IBT was at its peak and had about 2.3 million members who were workers.
According to Russell (2003), Hoffa was a visionary leader whose leadership style was dynamic. Hoffa vision was to improve the lives of the working middle class through the labor unions. He was devoted to bettering the lives of teamsters and fighting against poverty. Hoffa believed that teamsters’ children had the right to access solid education and advanced studies. During his second tenure as IBT president, he advocated for the establishment of education opportunities and scholarships for the Children of teamster union members. Hoffa also fought for the establishment of the Teamster scholarship fund and succeeded in 1966.
Despite being a white man, Hoffa supported the civil rights activists. Hoffa refused to support segregated local unions which reduced the popularity of teamster union in the south. Hoffa, therefore, supported Martin Luther King Jnr and other civil rights activists before they were popular. Hoffa noted there was no Jim Crow in the Teamsters labor unions ( Russell, 2003).
Hoffa’s Leadership Traits
Hoffa was a brave and courageous leader. Besides being uneducated Hoffa was able to bring workers under the IBT. Hoffa courage played a major role in defending the Teamsters unions from the raids by other large unions such as the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO). Hoffa’s bravery played a major role in extending the influence of Teamster in the Midwestern states in the 1930s and 1940s ( James, & James, 1965) .
According to Sheridan, (1972), Hoffa’s creativity played a major role in organizing warehousemen and truck drivers in the Midwest. Hoffa also played a role in the use of boycotts and quickie strikes and other approaches that were vital in leveraging the strength of the Union. It is through these approaches that Teamsters Unions first were able to win contract demands before it became a single union.
Jimmy Hoffa was fearless and had the ability of self-expression. From his teenage years, Hoffa condemned oppression at work the reason why he led the grocery chain workers against poor wages and working environment. His self-expression ability was able to win many people to joining Teamsters unions in Detroit despite resistance by the ICO group ( Smith, 2001) . When the ICO group wanted to raid the IBP Hoffa was able to tell off George Meany who was then the leader of ICO.
According to Sheridan (1972), despite Hoffa success as a labor union organizer his leadership was overshadowed by illegal activities that led to his imprisonment. IBT union was highly connected with different mafia groups and mob. His long association with organized crime affected his leadership quality. Teamsters’ success is highly connected to mob activities which provided security to the Unions’ leaders. Hoffa was charged with fraud, jury tampering, and conspiracy which led to his imprisonment for 13 years.
Conclusion
The labor unions have come a long since the industrial revolution. Leaders like Jimmy Hoffa were among the most outstanding union organizer in the 20 th century. During his days Hoffa became the leader of IBT which was among the largest private-sector unions in the U.S. Hoffa leadership traits such as bravery, optimism, vision, and determination made him popular among the workers who joined the Teamsters Union.
The research of the paper is based on secondary material written on Jimmy Hoffa. According to Russell (2003) , Hoffa success includes becoming the president of the Teamsters Union. It is during his tenure that workers under the Teamsters Union received higher wages than before, and organized the truck drivers across the U.S. He was able to bring all truck drivers in North America under one contract.
Despite his success as a labor relation leader, Hoffa was highly involved with crime. He was convicted to 13 years into prison during his second term as the president of Teamsters Union for tampering with jury and the pension fund of the union and fraud. In 1971 he was released from prison by President Nixon under the agreement that he would not return into the leadership of IBP until 1980 (Moldea, 1993). Hoffa disappearance in 1975 remains a riddle to the entire U.S. the results add to the knowledge on Jimmy Hoffa as a labor relations leader and his mark in modernizing the labor unions. The findings have also increased the knowledge of how Jimmy Hoffa visionary leadership remain relevant today.
Recommendations
Most scholars today say that Hoffa died with the strength of the Union. After Jimmy Hoffa disappearance the labor unions became passive in the activities, especially in the late 20 th century. The membership of the Teamsters Union declined as the group became less active.
Labour unions both private and the public are needed more in the modern-day just like in the 20 th century. Labour unions leaders are supposed to more vibrant in organizing the workers from different careers. Just like in the 20 th century where employees faced harsh working conditions the working class today continue to face different challenges. The labor unions and labor activists should work hard towards addressing these challenges.
There is a need for the protection of activists especial labor union leaders. The research found that Hoffa disappeared and has never been found which may have instilled fear among other labor union leaders. It is the responsibility of the government to ensure the security of such leaders which will give the voice to modern-day labor activists.
References
Hoffa, J. R. (1975). Hoffa: the real story . Stein and Day.
James, R. C., & James, E. (1965). Hoffa and the Teamsters: A Study of Union Power . Princeton, NJ, Van Nostrand.
Moldea, D. E. (1993). The Hoffa Wars: The Rise and Fall of Jimmy Hoffa . SP Books.
Russell, T. (2003). Out of the jungle: Jimmy Hoffa and the remaking of the American working class (Vol. 27). Temple University Press.
Sheridan, W. (1972). The Rise and Fall of Jimmy Hoffa.
Smith, M. (2001). "Let's Make Detroit a Union Town": The History of Labor and the Working Class in the Motor City. The Michigan Historical Review , 157-173.
