rs laid far underneath the rosy picture Hoffa painted for the nation. Though he worked hard for the union, Hoffa worked hard for his family as well. Though he made many investments using Teamsters funds, only once did he make it truly personal. Hoffa created a dummy corporation under his wife’s maiden name so as to crush the wildcat strike at Commercial Carrier’s by Teamsters. When the union members refused Hoffa’s orders to return to work, Hoffa simply had Test Fleet carry out the business for Commercial Carrier’s and thus making the strike useless. This is one of the few places Hoffa publicly allowed his interests to become more important than those of the Teamsters.The Teamsters were a strong union because the public believed the members supported Hoffa. Though many did, some disliked the behind the scene activities that Hoffa was rumored to be involved with. To gain the support of voting members, Hoffa would create paper locals and appoint old friends who needed money and would be loyal to him. Although it was completely illegal, Hoffa was able to keep most of his private dealings under the table. Hoffa’s excessive underground ties caught the eye of the federal government and more specifically, Robert Kennedy.Kennedy tried to do everything possible, legal and illegal, to bring down Hoffa. Through his actions starting as an assistant on the McClellan Committee and later as Attorney General of the United States, Kennedy made it “known to everyone he was out to get Hoffa.” (Time, 1964, 22) Hoffa was constantly worried about the FBI, Kennedy and the Justice Department trying to bring him down. That Kennedy was able to make Hoffa concerned about his investigators is a compliment to Kennedy because Hoffa had said “ All my life I’ve been under investigation.” (Moldea, 1978, 161)As the investigation into the leader of the teamsters began to intensify, “dissent amon...
