On July 30, 1975 James Riddle Hoffa, the once and-he hoped-future president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, was abducted and murdered. The body of never found. Hoffa's murder capped off a deadly open war between pro-Hoffa and mobbed-up anti-Hoffa forces for control of North America's largest union; a union that once had the power to shut down the continent's transportation network at the very dawn of neoliberalism.On this first episode of our Hoffa series, we take our listeners on an overview and discuss the contradictory figure of Hoffa: a red-baiting, corrupt, 'business unionist' who nevertheless believed that "capitalism is doomed" and that history might still prove his Trotskyist mentor right. A freewheeling friendly pragmatist, who would still not hesitate to use strikes, blockades, and a rogues gallery of specialized strong-arm soldiers to deliver life-changing gains for workers...only to have it wiped away with his fall from the presidency.So why'd Hoffa have to be out of the way?And why the hell can't they find the body?It's a series we're excited about folks, let's go.Music/Clips: In our intro clip of course is a segment of "In Search Of" featuring the late great Leonard Nimoy (season 5, episode 10). The interlude contains clips from IBT member interviews in that episode as well as Dominque Guiots La Danse De Meduses. Special thanks as always to Komakino for our intro and ending themes.Look for our next full-freight episode on Hoffa on 7/30.
