Longshoremen Union's Payroll Found Padded with Names of Children

[gsaldivar]

Here's an example of rewarding seniority and entitlement, rather than merit and propensity towards hard work. When a job opening comes up, just put your child's name on the payroll and lock that position in the family until he/she's old enough to work. Don't worry about all that Equal Opportunity nonsense - we're UNION, remember? :thumbsdown:

BOSTON (AP) - The state said it was investigating allegations that longshoremen's unions in Boston have placed children as young as 2 1/2 years old on the payroll in a scheme to give them higher wages as adult dockworkers.

Attorney General Thomas F. Reilly said Wednesday that his office and state police were alerted to the alleged scam by the Massachusetts Port Authority, which oversees the port of Boston.

Because seniority is determined by when a union member first receives a union card, regardless of the number of hours worked, union members who got their children enrolled are believed to have ensured them higher pay.

A person beginning work at age 21 typically makes about $16 an hour, Reilly said. A 21-year-old whose father first put their name on the payroll at age 2 would start at about $28 an hour.

"This has been going on for generations. It's part of the culture," he said. "It keeps the jobs in the family and rips off the public and over time puts the state at a competitive disadvantage."

The investigation is ongoing, but the fraud has been contained, he said.

Reilly said charges could include felony fraud. He declined to say what kind of penalties any convictions could bring.

The alleged scam was uncovered earlier this year when shipping officials noticed that a new union member had the same name as the 10-year-old granddaughter of a prominent longshoreman.

A check of her Social Security number confirmed who she was, and a follow-up review of records showed that as many as 30 children had been put on the payroll for a few hours a year going back as far as 1986.

"We were absolutely shocked," port authority spokeswoman Danny Levy told the Boston Herald. "When Massport was made aware of the discrepancy, we contacted the attorney general and began our own internal audit."

John F. McMahon, a lawyer for the International Longshoremen's Association, said only that he had heard about the investigation of three union locals, which reported a total membership of 250 in 2000.

International spokesman James McNamara said the union's ethical practices office will investigate the allegations "if there is something concrete."

Longshoremen in Boston offload shipping containers from ships and barges, and also handle cargo, supplies and baggage for cruise ship dockings. Fifty to 100 longshoremen work on the docks at any given time.

Text Text

 

[rahvin]

A union official that engages in nepotism? I bet that is rare.

 

[Engineer]

Onions......er......Unions suck ass.

The way that many of those people "cry" about everything, it might as well be an "Onion" factory instead of "Union".

Unions are more about power and greed at the top than the average joe that works under it.

 

[BBond]

Funny, our government and top echelons of American business work the same way but I don't hear the same people complaining about them.

:roll:

Ever been to the docks? Go down there, set up a little table, and make your complaints about the unions known. They'll be fishing you out of the drink by evening. Those Longshoremen don't play games.

 

[EagleKeeper]

The Longshore Unions wield a lot more power that most other unions.

1) They can easily shut down a port - crippling the nation's economy quickly - look at the evidence of previous West Coast conflicts and the sympathy slowdowns elsewhere.

2) The internal power they wield over the local port is amazing. The loss of $$ to a shipping line when a ship is being loaded/unloaded is high (Saw a documentary at Port of Long Beach that tracked a 24 hour day).

3) The pay comes from the port which gets the fees from the shipping lines.
The shipping lines are almost willing to pay through the nose to get the containers moving.

They have already contracted the shiping costs to their customers so every delay comes out of their profits.

The documentary mentioned, showed the amount of work the longshoreman do and how easily an equipment problem (deliberate or otherwise) can foul up the operation.

 

[Red Dawn]

Originally posted by: Engineer
Onions......er......Unions suck ass.

The way that many of those people "cry" about everything, it might as well be an "Onion" factory instead of "Union".

Unions are more about power and greed at the top than the average joe that works under it.

Tell me this, if you were working the Docks would you rather be Union and make good wages or be non Union and make sh!t? To those not in the Union I can understand the resentment but if I was working the Docks nobody would have to threaten me to join their Union, I'd do it gladly for the good wages and great benefits.

 

[CADsortaGUY]

Originally posted by: BBond
Funny, our government and top echelons of American business work the same way but I don't hear the same people complaining about them.

:roll:

Ever been to the docks? Go down there, set up a little table, and make your complaints about the unions known. They'll be fishing you out of the drink by evening. Those Longshoremen don't play games.

Ah yes - thuggery - how nice. :roll:

********

Truly unfortunate that Unions have become what they once despised and worked against.

CsG

 

[Ferocious]

Fortunately that is the rare exception.

And not the rule.

 

[Vic]

Originally posted by: Ferocious
Fortunately that is the rare exception.

And not the rule.

Hardly. Longshoremens Union is as crooked and nasty as it gets. They wield the power of a thug who can shut down business and commerce on a whim.

 

[1EZduzit]

You mean big unions operate just like big business and big goverment?? Who'd a thunk it.

International spokesman James McNamara said the union's ethical practices office will investigate the allegations "if there is something concrete."

Sounds familar, doesn't it

 

[Vic]

"Big" doesn't make something bad. What is bad is the coercive monopoly on labor that the union holds at the ports, by government license.

 

[Rainsford]

Originally posted by: CADsortaGUY

Originally posted by: BBond
Funny, our government and top echelons of American business work the same way but I don't hear the same people complaining about them.

:roll:

Ever been to the docks? Go down there, set up a little table, and make your complaints about the unions known. They'll be fishing you out of the drink by evening. Those Longshoremen don't play games.

Ah yes - thuggery - how nice. :roll:

********

Truly unfortunate that Unions have become what they once despised and worked against.

CsG

This is one of the handful of times when I agree with CAD. Anyone who studied the history of unions in this country knows what kind of horrible working conditions they were fighting against. Business owners used violence and other tactics to try and shut them down, but they stayed firm and eventually improved things for the workers. Instead of fighting a noble and just fight like that, they use their power just like the business people did back in the day, to extort unreasonable things from the other guys. On some level it feels like Karma for the business owners, but there is no reason to sink to their level.

 

[BBond]

Originally posted by: CADsortaGUY

Originally posted by: BBond
Funny, our government and top echelons of American business work the same way but I don't hear the same people complaining about them.

:roll:

Ever been to the docks? Go down there, set up a little table, and make your complaints about the unions known. They'll be fishing you out of the drink by evening. Those Longshoremen don't play games.

Ah yes - thuggery - how nice. :roll:

********

Truly unfortunate that Unions have become what they once despised and worked against.

CsG

It's the only real way to combat the thuggery of the union busters like you.

You don't like to have your tactics used against you, huh?

Go down to the docs and see the boys. Tell them all just how you feel about them and their union. They'll show you what thuggery really is. Not the back stabbing KKKarl Rove thuggery you pansies are used to. They'll drop a full shipping container on you while they smile in your face.

 

[cKGunslinger]

Originally posted by: BBond
Ever been to the docks? Go down there, set up a little table, and make your complaints about the unions known. They'll be fishing you out of the drink by evening. Those Longshoremen don't play games.

Ah, so illegal and violent behavior to protect your own greedy interests is accceptable, as long as your political leanings don't fall to the right, eh?

It's amazing how many cry hyprocrisy while speaking out both sides of their mouth.

 

[Vic]

If business should be prevented from having a monopoly, then so should labor.

2 wrongs don't make a right, BBond. Means are not justified by ends. If you become like your enemy in order to combat his tactics, then you become your enemy.

 

[cKGunslinger]

Originally posted by: BBond

It's the only real way to combat the thuggery of the union busters like you.

You don't like to have your tactics used against you, huh?

Go down to the docs and see the boys. Tell them all just how you feel about them and their union. They'll show you what thuggery really is. Not the back stabbing KKKarl Rove thuggery you pansies are used to. They'll drop a full shipping container on you while they smile in your face.

LOL!

ePenis++

 

[Red Dawn]

Originally posted by: Vic
If business should be prevented from having a monopoly, then so should labor.

Who would you go about that without violating their rights to organize?

 

[1EZduzit]

Originally posted by: Vic
"Big" doesn't make something bad. What is bad is the coercive monopoly on labor that the union holds at the ports, by government license.

I wouldn't call this incident a coercive monoply on labor. Possibly 30 kids....maybe less? Not even noteworthy of any attention, unless if you are a rabid union hater.

 

[BarneyFife]

Originally posted by: Vic

Originally posted by: Ferocious
Fortunately that is the rare exception.

And not the rule.

Hardly. Longshoremens Union is as crooked and nasty as it gets. They wield the power of a thug who can shut down business and commerce on a whim.

So whats wrong with that? Corporations do that all the time.

 

[CADsortaGUY]

Originally posted by: Red Dawn

Originally posted by: Vic
If business should be prevented from having a monopoly, then so should labor.

Who would you go about that without violating their rights to organize?

For one - no closed shop(forced union) agreements.

CsG

 

[CADsortaGUY]

Originally posted by: BBond

Originally posted by: CADsortaGUY

Originally posted by: BBond
Funny, our government and top echelons of American business work the same way but I don't hear the same people complaining about them.

:roll:

Ever been to the docks? Go down there, set up a little table, and make your complaints about the unions known. They'll be fishing you out of the drink by evening. Those Longshoremen don't play games.

Ah yes - thuggery - how nice. :roll:

********

Truly unfortunate that Unions have become what they once despised and worked against.

CsG

It's the only real way to combat the thuggery of the union busters like you.

You don't like to have your tactics used against you, huh?

Go down to the docs and see the boys. Tell them all just how you feel about them and their union. They'll show you what thuggery really is. Not the back stabbing KKKarl Rove thuggery you pansies are used to. They'll drop a full shipping container on you while they smile in your face.

:laugh: You are a trip Nice to see you think thuggery is ok...

CsG

 

[1EZduzit]

Originally posted by: CADsortaGUY

Originally posted by: Red Dawn

Originally posted by: Vic
If business should be prevented from having a monopoly, then so should labor.

Who would you go about that without violating their rights to organize?

For one - no closed shop(forced union) agreements.

CsG

From someone who lives in a "right-to-work" state, I can tell you that would be like having an attack dog with no teeth.

 

[CADsortaGUY]

Originally posted by: 1EZduzit

Originally posted by: CADsortaGUY

Originally posted by: Red Dawn

Originally posted by: Vic
If business should be prevented from having a monopoly, then so should labor.

Who would you go about that without violating their rights to organize?

For one - no closed shop(forced union) agreements.

CsG

From someone who lives in a "right-to-work" state, I can tell you that would be like having an attack dog with no teeth.

Iowa is a right to work state too - Unions hold their own here(if they are decent unions). Unions should not have a monopoly, whether in house or industry wide.

CsG

 

[Red Dawn]

Originally posted by: CADsortaGUY

Originally posted by: Red Dawn

Originally posted by: Vic
If business should be prevented from having a monopoly, then so should labor.

Who would you go about that without violating their rights to organize?

For one - no closed shop(forced union) agreements.

CsG

Hey they don''t have to sign any agreements but you can't make people work for wages they don't believe is fair. If they want to go with a Non Union Shop all they have to do is bring in Non Union Workers.

 

[EatSpam]

All you righties should be greatful to the longshoremen for being there. Without them, you wouldn't be able to import all your Wal-mart purchases from China and Taiwan and **gasp** might have to pay an American a living wage.