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Organized Labor, Organized Crime: The link between unions and the mob is far from broken. 1.24.11 Updated: 2011-01-24 17:25:41 Description: With its arrest of more than 100 alleged mobsters in New York, New Jersey, and Rhode Island on Thursday, the FBI made it crystal clear that the Mafia, while a shadow of its former self, is still a significant force in much of the country. The grand-jury indictments — which read like a Sopranos episode, with nicknames like “Lumpy” and strip clubs called the Satin Doll and the Cadillac Lounge — accuse the arrestees of crimes ranging from murder to selling untaxed cigarettes, going back several decades. And just as organized crime hasn’t disappeared since the days of On the Waterfront, organized labor hasn’t managed to sever its ties with the Mafia. The indictments allege that the mob corrupted Cement and Concrete Workers Union Local 6A (which is headquartered in Flushing, Queens), taking from its honest members “labor union positions, money paid as wages and other economic benefits,” as well as the right “to free speech and [a] democratic process in the affairs of their labor organization.” Named in the indictments is Ralph Scopo Jr., a former head of the union. His father ran the organization’s district council and was convicted of racketeering in the 1980s, and his son (who was not indicted) runs the union now. This Podcast brought to you by GoToMeeting: Visit gotomeeting.com, click the try it free button and use promo code: Podcast Brought to you by OutloudOpinion.com LISTEN NOW | DOWNLOAD |
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