Union Blues Corruption and Labor Issues (AVIATION-7)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BOOKS (2007) Mobsters, Unions, and Feds. The Mafia and the American Labor Movement James B. Jacobs https://nyupress.org/books/9780814742945/ JOURNALS Labor Racketeering: The Mafia and the Unions JOURNAL ARTICLE: Crime and Justice Vol. 30 (2003), pp. 229-282 James B. Jacobs and Ellen Peters 2003--https //www jstor org/stable/1147700?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents Links List Aviation-7 Union Blues 1978--http //www americanmafia com/Crime_And_Labor html 2015/06/18--http //californiapolicycenter org/how-unions-use-scab-lists-to-intimidate-workers/#!#comment-31907 2012/09/24--http //www cbc ca/news/canada/montreal/donnie-brasco-says-mob-controls-construction-via-unions- 1.1265332 2016/01/10--https //www facebook com/MachinistsUnion/posts/10153226946200636 2008/06/03--http //www slate com/articles/news_and_politics/recycled/2008/06/why_the_mafia_loves_garbage html ARTICLES, JOURNALS AND REPORTS American Mafia dot com 1978 Crime and Labor: ORGANIZED CRIME AND THE LABOR UNIONS PREPARED FOR THE WHITE HOUSE Peter F. Vaira Attorney in Charge Chicago Strike Force Douglas P. Roller Attorney in Charge Cleveland Strike Force http //www americanmafia com/Crime_And_Labor html Excerpt: ORGANIZED CRIME AND THE LABOR UNIONS This is a preliminary report on the organized crime influence in the labor unions today in the United States. The picture that it presents is thoroughly frightening. At least four international unions are completely dominated by men who either have strong ties to or are members of the organized crime syndicate. A majority of the locals in most major cities of the United States in the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT), Hotel and Restaurant Employees Union (HRE), Laborers International Union of North America (Laborers), and International Longshoreman's Association (ILA) unions are completely dominated by organized crime. The officials of these unions are firmly entrenched; there is little hope of removing them by a free election process. Convictions for misconduct have been sparse and when one corrupt official is removed another soon takes his place. The result has been a complete domination of certain industries by hoodlums. Management personnel in the companies who must deal with these hoodlums have despaired of getting help from law enforcement authorities. They pay the price of labor peace so that they may survive. The cost is passed on to the consumer. Action must be taken to eliminate this syndicate control. Not only is this syndicate domination a national disgrace, it is a threat to the free competition to certain parts of the economy. 1978--http //www americanmafia com/Crime_And_Labor html [Note from PF: Material is worthwhile because it is historical and informative with a voice of the good old USA (pre-9/11) authenticity] California Policy Center 2015/06/18 How Unions use scab lists to intimidate workers. By Carl Horowitz http //californiapolicycenter org/how-unions-use-scab-lists-to-intimidate-workers/#!#comment-31907 Excerpt: Unions have long sought to demonize replacement workers, union members who cross picket lines, and others whom the unions label “scabs.” Sometimes, this takes the form of implied or explicit threats or other efforts to create fear and to intimidate. Excerpt: The website of United Auto Workers Local 31 in Kansas City, Kansas published a “Scab List” from July 2014 that names employees and gives their department numbers. Similarly, during a 2010 employer lockout, United Steelworkers Local 7-669, which represents workers at the Honeywell uranium enrichment plant in Metropolis, Ill., posted a list of hundreds of “confirmed scabs” who “infect our community.” Excerpt - Aviation Related: Members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Local Lodge 1426, the union representing workers at the Smurfit-Stone Container Corp. plant in Sioux City, Iowa (and which struck in 2007), addressed an open letter to “scabs”….” 2015/06/18--http //californiapolicycenter org/how-unions-use-scab-lists-to-intimidate-workers/#!#comment- 31907 CBC 2012/09/24 Donnie Brasco' says Mob controls construction via unions; FBI ex-agent Joseph Pistone tells Quebec inquiry how Mafia kept grip on projects 2012/09/24--http //www cbc ca/news/canada/montreal/donnie-brasco-says-mob-controls-construction-via- unions-1.1265332 Humans of New York 2016/01/10 Facebook entry. https //www facebook com/MachinistsUnion/posts/10153226946200636 “Everyone has a hard on for the union. They think we’re lazy or this or that, or maybe that there’s mafia influence, but honestly I just think they don’t like the little man having a voice. More and more construction sites are non-union these days. Nobody wants to pay $30 an hour plus benefits if an immigrant will do the same job for $14 an hour. And if everything goes non-union, I might as well go work at McDonald’s because I’ll be making the same amount of money. If the union collapses, I’m going to lose my pension. The way pensions work-- each generation pays for the previous generation. So without a new generation of union workers, there’s not going to be any money left for me. And I’ll have to work until I die.” 2016/01/10--https //www facebook com/MachinistsUnion/posts/10153226946200636 Slate 2008/06/03 Why the Mafia Loves Garbage. Hauling trash and organized crime. By Michelle Tsai http //www slate com/articles/news_and_politics/recycled/2008/06/why_the_mafia_loves_garbage html Excerpt: Connecticut trash executive James Galante pleaded guilty Tuesday to racketeering and conspiracy charges. Galante was indicted in 2006 as part of a federal corruption probe of organized-crime activity in the garbage industry. In an "Explainer" column this year, Michelle Tsai investigated the Mafia-garbage connection. The article is reprinted below. 2008/06/03--http //www slate com/articles/news_and_politics/recycled/2008/06/why_the_mafia_loves_garbage html NIPC dot org 2016/02/01 Top ten union corruption stories-year 2016/02/01--http //nlpc org/2016/02/01/top-ten-union-corruption-stories-year/ WSJ Wall Street Journal 2014/02/18 Mobs hold on labor union is weaker than it used to beMob's Hold on Unions Isn't What It Used to Be Organized Crime's Presence in Labor Groups Is Weaker Today, but Not Totally Gone. By Sean Gardiner 2014/02/18--https //www wsj com/articles/mobs-hold-on-labor-unions-is-weaker-than-it-used-to-be- 1392778131 Wikipedia https //en wikipedia org/wiki/International_Brotherhood_of_Teamsters Laborers SIX WAYS TO TAKE OVER A UNION. by Ed Barnes & Bob Windrem M O T H E R J O N E S August 1980 In the ninth-largest member union of the AFL-CIO, four officials have been murdered Hitmen planned to dispose of one intended victim's body by feeding it to sharks The union's entire national health & safety department consists of one man,part-time Millions of dollars in pension & health benefit funds have been siphoned off Mafia control of the Laborers Union is so complete, so ruthless, it could teach the Teamsters a few lessons http //www laborers org/MoJo_8-80 html Unions and Boeing, and related issues/info ABC Machinists union leaders call for Boeing strike. By Manuel Valdes http //abcnews go com/Business/story?id=5693492 Forbes 2016/02/10/2016 Labor Department Sues Machinists Union Pension Fund For Fiduciary Breaches. By Ted Reed 2016/02/10-- 2016/02/10--https://www.forbes.com/sites/tedreed/2016/02/10/labor-department-sues-machinists-union- pension-fund-despite-its-strong-performance/#4067af252b40 IAM: GO IAM, Iam 750, IAM 160, etc. 2017/03/02 More Than 800 Workers to Join IAM in Seattle - McGee/Alaskanhttps://www.goiam.org/news/800-workers-join-iam-seattle/ Excerpt: The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) today announced that McGee Air Services, a subsidiary of Alaska Airlines, will begin operations in Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in early May, adding more than 800 new members into the IAM. The IAM-represented McGee Air Services workers will perform ramp service work previously performed by non-union Menzies Aviation. “We are very proud to welcome these workers into the IAM family,” said General Vice President Sito Pantoja. “This is another step toward our goal of organizing everything inside the fence, increasing union density in our industry and raising the bar for all airline workers 2017/03/02--https //www goiam org/news/800-workers-join-iam-seattle/ IAM 751 http //www iam751 org/ IAM District Lodge 160 http //www iam160 com/ IAM 2010 Another View of the IAM blogspot: So much for unions claim of job protection 2010--http //anotherviewoftheiam blogspot com/2010/02/so-much-for-unions-claim-of-job html Labor Notes dot org Boeing machinists narrowly approve end pensions (01/2014) 2014/01--http //labornotes org/2014/01/boeing-machinists-narrowly-approve-end-pensions New York Times 2017/02/15 Union issues South Carolina 2017/02/15--https //www nytimes com/2017/02/15/business/boeing-union-south-carolina html Newsbusters 2017/02/16 AP Bitter That Boeing Plant Obama's NLRB Tried to Stop Didn't Go Union. By Tom Blumer 2017/02/16--https //www newsbusters org/blogs/nb/tom-blumer/2017/02/16/ap-bitter-boeing-plant- obamas-nlrb-tried-stop-didnt-go-union Oregon LIve 2014/01/03 Boeing gets what it wants in nasty contract dispute with Machinists. By Jeff Manning http //www oregonlive com/business/index.ssf/2014/01/boeing_contract_dispute_with_m_1 html Excerpt: In a bare-knuckled display of corporate muscle, The Boeing Co. convinced its often-unruly Machinists union members to accept a new contract that ends their traditional pension and includes other benefits and wage cuts. The Friday vote came after an ultimatum from Boeing – approve the new contract or it would consider moving assembly of the company's next-generation passenger jet and construction of an advanced, composite airplane wing out of the Northwest. Extended Excerpt: On Dec. 16, Boeing hiked its dividend by nearly a third, which Boeing CEO Jim McNerney was warranted by the company's "sustained, strong operational performance."That doesn't sound like a company in trouble. But it's undeniable that Airbus, Boeing's chief competitor, has made considerable strides. The two companies are locked in a fiercely competitive duopoly atop the industry. Airbus's strength was illustrated in October when it made new inroads into the Japanese market, long a Boeing stronghold. Japan Airlines ordered 31 Airbus A350s, with a list value of $9.8 billion. The deal indicates Boeing is paying a price for the troubled rollout of its 787 Dreamliner. The company for the first time farmed out much of the 787 production to subcontractors around the world. Resulting production issues and fires that broke out in a handful of 787 batteries led to a temporary global grounding of the aircraft early last year. The issues shook the confidence of some customers. The next-generation 777X is tremendously important to Boeing, in part because of the 787 problems. And the world's initial reaction to Boeing's 777X has been heartening. Even though the plane is still some six years away, airlines have ordered 259 of them as of October worth an estimated $97 billion. The Union: More than 34,000 of Boeing's 175,000 employees belong to the Machinists union, 1,200 of them at the company's Gresham facility. They are well paid. Some take home $100,000 a year or more. Even Butcher-Doty, the young apprentice, earns about $30 an hour, or $60,000 annually. The Machinists also enjoy benefit packages most Americans can only dream about, chief among them a traditional defined-benefit pension plan that guarantees a monthly income for the duration of their retirement. They can be a combative bunch. Boeing Machinists walked out on strike in 2005 and 2008 in earlier disputes with management. In November, despite the urging of some of their senior union leadership, the machinists overwhelmingly rejected Boeing's contract. They voted Friday on a slightly sweetened version of that contract. The company on Thursday urged the workers to voluntarily accept the benefit cuts and wage changes. Boeing's message: Their future employment may hinge on their acceptance of a grim new reality of heightened global competition. "Our world has changed dramatically," the company said. "Tight competition means the airplanes we are selling now are at significant discounts relative to those in the past. What we do today and tomorrow to better manage costs will have an impact on our earnings years down the road." John Kleiboeker has worked at Boeing's Gresham plant for 16 years. He cuts and shapes aluminum, titanium and other exotic metals into aircraft parts. He's also president of the Machinists Local Lodge 63. "They want our pension, that's the biggest single issue," he said. "I've got 15 years to retirement. If it freezes now, I'm looking at a loss of $250,000." To make up for the lost pension, the company has offered a new 401k plan, on top of the 401k already in place, replete with some hefty initial company matches. 2014/01/03--http //www oregonlive com/business/index.ssf/2014/01/boeing_contract_dispute_with_m_1 html Seattle TImes 2017/01/19 Machinists union to file for new organizing vote at Boeing’s South Carolina plant http //www seattletimes com/business/boeing-aerospace/machinists-union-set-to-file-for-new-organizing-vote-at- boeings-south-carolina-plant/ Boeing aerospace diapers on display as Boeing campaigns against machinists in S. Carolina 2017/01/19--http //www seattletimes com/business/boeing-aerospace/diapers-on-display-as-boeing- campaigns-against-machinists-in-s-carolina-vote/ Wikipedia Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations act - RICO https //en.wikipedia dot org/wiki/Racketeer_Influenced_and_Corrupt_Organizations_Act Excerpt: The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, commonly referred to as the RICO Act or simply RICO, is a United States federal law that provides for extended criminal penalties and a civil cause of action for acts performed as part of an ongoing criminal organization. The RICO Act focuses specifically on racketeering, and it allows the leaders of a syndicate to be tried for the crimes which they ordered others to do or assisted them in doing, closing a perceived loophole that allowed a person who instructed someone else to, for example, murder, to be exempt from the trial because they did not actually commit the crime personally.[1] https //en wikipedia dot org/wiki/Racketeer_Influenced_and_Corrupt_Organizations_Act Boeing machinists strike of 2008 https //en wikipedia dot org/wiki/Boeing_machinists_strike_of_2008 COMMENTS This page shows some union problems including divisions over union supporters and non-union supporters, as well as problems with the mob. Watch for subversive union groups as anti-American warfare, like from Iran, Russia or China. There can be an oldsocialist theme running through unions that goes back at least to the populist-connected labor movement of the late 1800s. However, also think about who would want to reduce the power of unions by making them look bad, either through infiltrations or false rumors? The companies dealing with unions in their work force, of course. Why would unions impact police work? For one thing, there are police unions, just like there many other kinds of unions. Secondly, family members, friends and church-goers could all have associates in unions. Extended family networks could be involved in union crime, and even police person’s set of associates could be linked to a major area employer and its unions. Unions often have long-ranged strings across a region as a zone of influence, and such a zone could be for or against that union depending on relationship ties and personal circumstances. If a union worker is quoting Al Jazeera, it is probably a good idea to ask some critical questions and do some checking, even if that person on the surface looks white; is he pow-wowing with certain minorities known to have links to black Muslim groups, Hamas, etc? Was he fired and, feeling disenfranchised and angry, finding more common ground with blacks and women’s rights groups working with anti-American civil rights groups linked to known enemies of the United States? Are you hearing any “calling card” lingo in his words, written or otherwise, which might hint that he has ties to these groups? Updates: 2021/10/16 editing; 2021/02/09 some editing; comments section fleshed out, including part on possible disgruntled ex-employees linked to anti- American civil rights groups. One place to check for this is in the Seattle and Portland areas where Black Lives Matter protests and riots were linked to civil rights groups attacking government both inside as infiltrations and outside it. There very well might be a link to current or former Boeing union members in all of that. This will be repeated in the BLM-Oregon section.

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