American variety show: The Godfather, the Peace Ambassador, what the heck?

Chapter 146 Luca's Appeal
Detroit.

This Motor City is located in Michigan, in the northern United States, not far from Chicago and not too far from New York.

When painter Frank came to visit his old friend, Hoffa was holding a truckers' union magazine and complaining, "That bastard Fitz actually dared to run for president. He used to be just a dog following me around!"

After saying that, Hoffa tossed the magazine to Frank. "I let this bastard manage the union for me, not so he could take my place. He has to give up his position after I get out of prison!"

"Fitz's dog doesn't matter who he serves," Frank said helplessly. "Fitz is quite popular with some people now."

"Of course it's popular!"

Hoffa sneered, spreading his arms wide to express his contempt with exaggerated gestures. "This guy is incredibly generous. He'll never refuse if the Mafia asks him for money! He has absolutely no principles. He takes the retirement savings of millions of his union brothers to help the Mafia build casinos and hotels, and to build houses and shopping malls for them in New York!"

He squandered his brothers' hard-earned money, taking their future savings to collude with the Mafia. That son of a bitch, he'll destroy the truck drivers' union!

Hoffa got more and more excited as he spoke, "I heard he recently approved another project to build a furniture store for the Mafia in New York? Screw the furniture store! When have those ruthless Mafia gangsters ever been in the mood to sell furniture? Do they want to hide drugs inside the furniture and offer customers a buy-one-get-one-free deal?"

The furniture mall is Old Pigeon's project, and Frank felt a headache coming on. Although he didn't understand why Luca insisted on building a furniture mall, Fitz certainly wouldn't refuse, because that fat man had taken too much profit from Luca's gasoline business.

Those two are now wearing the same pair of underwear.

In addition, I also have to count myself.

The union branch he managed also helped Lao Ge a lot and he benefited greatly from it.

Frank said helplessly, "That's why Tony and Luca are backing Fitz; they're fully supporting him."

Tony – full name “Anthony Salerno”, nicknamed “Fat Tony”, is the head of the Genovese family, one of the five great families in New York.

He held a high position in the underworld and often acted as a peacemaker. He was widely respected for his ability to resolve gang disputes, and members of the Mafia across the United States frequently sought his mediation.

He was also one of Fitz's behind-the-scenes supporters, frequently seeking money from the trucking union's retirement fund.

He eventually died in prison from prostate cancer.

At this moment, Hoffa felt agitated upon hearing so many people supporting Fitz. "But I have more supporters, don't I? Frank, you'll support me, right? And the unions in New Jersey and Philadelphia, they all support me. Oh, and what about that bastard Pro? He has quite a few union votes too."

“Pro is dead.”

"."

Hofa paused for a second.

Because Pro and Fitz were very close, Hoffa disliked Pro, but after all, he had once promoted the guy himself, and now that he was dead.
What exactly happened during the years I was in prison?

"So who is the current president of the 560 guild?"

"Luca the pigeon."

"Fak!"

Hofa cursed angrily, "Where did this pigeon Luca come from? I'd never heard of him before I went to jail."

"He is a scoundrel in the Lucchese family."

Frank went into detail about Luca's background, deeds, and how powerful he was now. "And like Tony, he is now a referee on the committee. It's no exaggeration to say that Luca's ability to mediate gang conflicts is no less than Tony's. Many gangs in New York are willing to ask him for help. That's where his nickname 'Pigeon' comes from."

Moreover, Pigeon now controls almost all truck drivers in New Jersey, with the 560 union at its core. He has all the votes there. You have a lot of power in the western United States, but the east is no longer under your control. If you want to win the chairmanship, you need Luca's support.

Luca has too many supporters; his choice could determine who becomes the next president, you or Fitz.

At this point, Frank couldn't help but admire Luca. The former 560 union, whose leader, Pro, ruled through gang violence, had long exploited drivers' wages and intimidated them into supporting him;

Luca, however, did the opposite, raising wages and providing benefits to the drivers. Surprisingly, the union fund in New Jersey actually grew more and more under Luca's management. Who knows what that guy invested in to make so much money?

It seems that after the recent gold heist, the union fund has seen a significant increase in funds.

Did Luca take the money to speculate in gold? In any case, truck drivers in New Jersey are living better and better. Luca's approval rating is probably over 90%, and no one wants this young, promising, and magnanimous chairman to step down.

His influence is too strong, making his position as president unshakeable.

Frank couldn't even imagine what would happen if Luca were to run for union president.

When these stories reached Hoffa's ears, even the older man found it hard to believe. "I can't believe that I would one day have to resort to soliciting votes from the Mafia, and a guy who's decades younger than me at that. What kind of nonsense is this?"

“The pigeon has almost taken control of Fitz. He is a very capable man, and everyone is willing to do things for him.”

"Damn it! The union can't be controlled by the mafia, it's workers' territory! It belongs to the workers!"

“If Fitz becomes chairman, then the Mafia controls the union, and we have no choice,” Frank said patiently. “If you want to get back to the chairman’s position, you also need to get along well with Pigeon. I know you don’t want to be controlled, but there’s no other way. If you don’t get Luca’s support, you can’t become chairman now. Even if Fatty Tony supports you, it won’t work. Luca’s influence in the union far exceeds Tony’s.”

Hoffa was silent for a moment, then said with a sneer, "I don't believe Luca has done so much for the union. Those truck drivers must have been coerced by Luca. I know them too well; they followed me for decades. No one knows their attitude better than me."

“Listen, Jimmy, you need to sit down and have a good talk with him. Dealing with Luca isn’t difficult, as long as you have a good attitude.”

"Wasn't my attitude good enough?" Hofa spread his hands and said sarcastically, "Oh~~ little pigeon~~ I want your support~~ please, pigeon Luca~~~ after I become the chairman, all the union's office supplies will be bought from your furniture store~~~ hahaha, go to hell, I can't do that kind of thing."

"You just need to get through it, it's not difficult, pigeons are happy to make friends."

"Frank, you haven't been bribed by Luca the pigeon, have you? You're actually saying so many good things about him. You weren't like this with Fitz and Pro before. I thought you were always on my side."

"Of course I'm on your side, no doubt about it, but now if you want to be chairman, you can't get around Pigeon, unless you can get more votes from other places, but people from other places are full of malice, only Pigeon is willing to sit down and have a chat with you."

"."

Hofa remained silent for a while, unable to comprehend how much the outside world had changed since he went to prison, with Luca the pigeon becoming a rising star who could influence him.

Recalling Frank's description of Luca, Hoffa hesitated for a moment. Seeing is believing, and he could investigate the situation of the New Jersey union.

He thought for a moment and said, "If I go to negotiate with the pigeons, will you come with me?"

Frank breathed a sigh of relief: "Of course, I'll be with you."

But he couldn't help but worry. He knew his old friend's temper all too well: reckless, hot-tempered, and prone to speaking without thinking, easily offending others. Even if Pigeon was easy to talk to, he was still a person of status. If Hoffa said something unpleasant, Frank would be caught in the middle and feel very awkward.

Meanwhile, the SSR Club.

Luca met Fitz here, undoubtedly there for votes.

"Pigeon, I need your support for the next chairmanship election."

Fitz immediately played the sentimental card, praising the pleasant cooperation over the past six months and how much he had helped Luca. He offered to make Luca the chairman, mobilize drivers from the East Coast to support Luca's gasoline business, and recently even used union funds to renovate the furniture store.
Dude, I've helped you so much, you can't just stand by and watch me die, and you certainly can't switch sides and support Jimmy Hoffa!
Luca was also a bit annoyed.

This is indeed infuriating. Although Hoffa has served several years in prison and the union has been purged by Fitz, the election is crucial for the votes of the lower-level drivers. In this regard, Hoffa has served as president for decades and has a strong appeal; even if he is no longer as powerful as before, he is still a considerable force.

For example, even before Hoffa has taken office, he has already begun to control the union's power to obstruct some projects and secretly fight with Fitz—the union fund has other trustees, and among those trustees, Hoffa has many of his own people.

This hot-tempered big brother will not become a lackey of the mafia; he wants to control the union himself!
Hoffa truly loves the union and its drivers. Over the years, he has enacted countless laws and regulations, boosting the union's power and securing the status that truck drivers have today.

Luca shook his head and smiled. "Don't I, the peace ambassador, love my union brothers?"

To be fair, Luca thought the ideal outcome would be for Fitz to remain chairman and continue to be a lackey of the Mafia; Hoffa could retire peacefully to avoid future trouble, and he could say he had prevented a nationally sensational conflict.

“I know what I’m doing,” Luca said with a smile. “Fitz, you have to trust your ally. We’ve been working together so well, I won’t abandon you.”

Luca truly couldn't find another union chairman as obedient as Fitz.

Hearing Luca's promise, Fitz finally breathed a sigh of relief. After years of currying favor with the Mafia, he had at least shown these big shots his usefulness. Compared to that disobedient old man Hoffa, he believed these Mafia bosses knew which one to choose.

After Fitz left, Luca called the painter, "Frank, let's arrange a time. Come to New York, I'll be waiting for you at the SSR Club."

(End of this chapter)