Description
Book SynopsisDocuments organized crime's exploitation of organized labor and the massive federal clean-up effort. This book explains how Cosa Nostra families gained a foothold in the labor movement, and used this power to become part of the political and economic power structure of 20th-century urban America.
Trade Review"Jacobs offers a history of the federal government's efforts to curb labor racketeering. The heart of his text focuses on the results achieved by employing Civil RICO suits to weed out organized crime from unions long mired in corruption. The Justice Department has mounted twenty such efforts since 1982, and Jacobss book is the first to provide a comprehensive assessment of this controversial tactic. He tackles this ambitious project with a combination of detailed research, clear writing, and judicious consideration, all of which have been a hallmark of his previous texts on corruption and organized crime. The result is a must read book for anyone interested in the problem of union corruption and what to do about it." * Industrial and Labor Relations Review *
"I am not aware of a book that covers the same ground as this one, let alone one that does so using such thorough research and with such technical competence." -- Anthony M. Gould,University
"For an understanding of RICO litigation against unions, Jacobss book is a good choice." * Law and History Review *
"Jacobs, legal scholar and expert on the Mafia, sets out to show how the Mob has distorted American labor history, explaining the relationship between organized crime and organized labor, as well as recent federal efforts to clean up unions." * Booklist *
"“James Jacobs, a New York University law professor and author of Mobsters, Unions and Feds, says Mafiosi were hired by union organizers in the early twentieth century to combat company toughs. Now, he says, they specialize in & selling the rights of workers." * USA Today *
Table of ContentsPreface Acknowledgments List of Acronyms1 Introduction 2 Organized Crime and Organized Labor 3 President's Commission on Organized Crime 4 Labor Racketeering in New York City 5 Organized Labor's Response to Organized Crime 6 Labor Racketeering and the Rank and File 7 Attacking Labor Racketeering Prior to Civil RICO (1982) 8 Civil RICO Suits and Trusteeships 9 The Liberation of IBT Local 560 10 The New York City District Council of Carpenters 11 The Four International Unions 12 Evaluating Civil RICO 13 Concluding Re?ections Notes Bibliography IndexAbout the Author
