Corruption and Reform in the Teamsters Union (Working Class in American History) Paperback January 10, 2008

The Working Class in American History

by David Witwer

"Almost since its creation at the close of the nineteenth century, the Teamsters Union has had recurring problems with corruption. This book is the first in depth historical study of the forces that have contributed to the Teamsters' troubled past, as well as the various mechanisms the union has employed - from top down directives to grass-roots measures - to combat the spread of corruption." Arguing that the Teamsters Union was by its very nature especially vulnerable to certain forms of corruption, David Witwer charts the process by which organized crime came to play a significant role in sectors of the union, from low-level involvements of the 1930s to suspicions of mob ties among the union's upper echelons beginning in the 1950s. Witwer includes a detailed account of the links forged between the Mafia and union head Jimmy Hoffa as well as the highly revealing McClellan Committee investigation that first brought these links to light.

Genres: Labor, History

Unknown Binding

First published May 13, 2003

Reviews

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really excellent work on a topic usually treated with a far more sensational and usually staunchly anti labor lens. Witwer takes a thorough approach to examining the real corruption that has existed in the Teamsters over their life but also the way this corruption was framed by business funded politicians to attack the very idea of labor unionism. He never shies away from or excuses the real crimes that were committed by people like Jimmy Hoffa, but he effectively dismantles the lie that it's unionism itself that trends towards corruption. This work also exposes how charges of union "corruption" were often leveled at the Teamsters simply for having the power to win their members a better contract. Also takes a great look at the tactics that reformers within the union have tried over the years, which have worked, and which haven't. A great book, exactly what I was looking for.