ILA's complaint about Waterfront Commission not considered valid

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey says the Waterfront Commission is not
delaying the hiring of new employees.

This from their web-site

STATEMENT BY PORT AUTHORITY ON THIS WEEK'S MEETING ON HIRING ISSUES IN THE PORT OF NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY

Date: Nov 07, 2013
Press Release Number: 112-2013
"As the agency that oversees the largest port complex on the East Coast, our goal is simple: To continue to build on the 280,000 jobs and billions of dollars in economic activity that the Port of New York and New Jersey provides to the region. This week, we had a productive meeting with the Waterfront Commission and the New York Shipping Association over hiring at the port at a time when there is a real need for additional employees on the docks. All parties made a great deal of progress, which when effected, will result in the hiring of hundreds of ILA members in the short term. Though work needs to be done to finalize the agreement, we are optimistic as we continue to work with both parties towards a settlement. All parties agree that the Waterfront Commission was and is not delaying hiring, and applicants are actively being referred and processed. All stakeholders continue to work in a cooperative fashion to put people to work as quickly possible."

CONTACT:
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
212-435-7777

More reports on NY/NJ Waterfront arrests

Below is from New Jersey Star Ledger. They are doing a great job
covering the arrests related to corruption on the NY/NJ piers.

Ex-longshoremen's union official is indicted on waterfront corruption charges
Published: Thursday, December 16, 2010, 7:40 AM

A new indictment of a once-powerful longshoremen’s union leader was quietly unsealed this week, pointing to a growing offensive by federal prosecutors into corruption on the waterfront.

The charges come less than a week after another member of the same union was charged with collecting "Christmas tribute" money exacted from other dockworkers to kick back to the mob.

Albert Cernadas Sr., who served as both executive vice president of the International Longshoremen’s Association and president of ILA Local 1235 in Newark, was accused of shaking down his members under threats of violence, in what was described as a long-running racketeering operation tied to the Genovese organized crime family.

The charges come nearly five years after Cernadas, 75, of Union Township, was removed from the ILA after pleading guilty to corruption charges involving thousands of dollars in union funds being funneled into a pharmaceutical company controlled by organized crime.

But in the new indictment, the government charges a far larger conspiracy dating back more than two decades — alleging that Cernadas put the screws to force cash payments from his members every year around Christmastime by use of "actual and threatened force, violence and fear."

The 52-page indictment, unsealed in federal court in Newark, does not say where the money went, but prosecutors say Cernadas was a known associate of the Genovese family which controlled the New Jersey waterfront. At the same time, other documents recently filed in several related cases spelled out what appeared to be a lucrative extortion racket known as "Christmas tributes" that preyed on ILA members, forcing them to cede part of their pay each year to crime bosses with hooks into the union.

Cernadas’ attorney, Jack Arseneault, declined comment. The U.S. Attorney’s office in Newark also declined to comment, and would not say what sparked its interest in Cernadas or why it kept the charges low key, opting not to make an announcement as it frequently does in such cases.

However, the indictment and other recent criminal complaints suggest a far larger investigation.

Last week, Robert Ruiz, 51, an international representative and delegate of the ILA, was arrested and charged in New York with extortion conspiracy in connection with similar payments.

According to an affidavit filed in the case by Jonathan Mellone, a special agent for the U.S. Department of Labor, members of the ILA were required to provide payments every December, and the payments were then kicked back to the Genovese family.

In connection with that case, the FBI said it dug up nearly $52,000 in cash buried in the backyard of one unidentified union member from New Jersey who went to authorities and said he and others were threatened with the loss of their jobs or their lives if they did not pay up. The union member told authorities the money was to go to Ruiz and it was their understanding the envelopes ultimately went to members of the Genovese family.

Separately, another reputed mobster, Stephen Depiro, was indicted in New York in April on racketeering charges in connection with the waterfront, with court records similarly documenting the holiday payments to organized crime.

In the criminal complaint filed against Depiro, transcripts of phone calls referred to the annual Christmas payments. Investigators said Edward Aulisi, the son of Vincent Aulisi, who became president of Local 1235 after Cernadas left, was caught on tape assuring reputed mob boss Michael Coppola that the tribute money would continue even after Cernadas left, and in fact had doubled.

The payments were the focus of some attention during a special hearing in October by the Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor. Aulisi, whom officials say held a no-show job at Port Elizabeth, was called as a witness but invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. He has not been charged with any wrongdoing.

The indictment against Cernadas says only that he conspired to extort money from ILA members each December, beginning in 1982. The timing of the charges suggest prosecutors were facing a problem with the statute of limitations had they not filed the when they did.

ILA officials in New York said Wednesday Cernadas was no longer with the union and they were unaware of the indictment.

Cernadas, whose son is Al Cernadas Jr., the first assistant prosecutor of Union County, was arraigned Wednesday before U.S. District Judge Susan D. Wigenton in Newark and released on a $1 million bond.

click here for link

More arrests on the NY/NJ waterfront

From The NY/NJ Waterfront Commission web-site

Three New Defendants and Multiple Counts Added to Genovese – ILA Racketeering Indictment.

December 15, 2011

NEWARK, N.J. – Three additional defendants were arrested today and charged in a superseding indictment that adds dozens of counts to a previous indictment charging multiple defendants – including an alleged member and associates of the Genovese organized crime family – with racketeering and related offenses, New Jersey U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman and Eastern District of New York U.S. Attorney Loretta E. Lynch announced.

A 103-count superseding indictment was unsealed this morning in Newark federal court in which previously-charged defendants Stephen Depiro, a soldier in the Genovese organized crime family of La Cosa Nostra (the “Genovese family”), and three Genovese family associates – Albert Cernadas, former President of International Longshoremen’s Association (“ILA”) Local 1235 and former ILA Executive Vice President; Nunzio LaGrasso, the Vice President of ILA Local 1478 and ILA Representative; and Richard Dehmer – are charged with racketeering conspiracy, including predicate acts of conspiring to extort Christmastime tributes from ILA members on the New Jersey piers. The superseding indictment includes, as part of the racketeering conspiracy charge, 61 additional predicate acts of extortion of various ILA members by Cernadas and 12 additional predicate acts of extortion of ILA members by Nunzio LaGrasso. In addition to the Christmastime extortion scheme, LaGrasso is charged with the extortion of an ILA dock worker so that the worker could retain a supervisory job at the port.

The superseding indictment also charges newly added defendants Michael Nicolosi, Julio Porrao and Rocco Ferrandino – all current or former ILA supervisors – with extortion conspiracy and extortion. Nunzio LaGrasso and five other defendants, including Thomas Leonardis, the President of ILA Local 1235 and ILA Representative; Robert Ruiz, the Delegate of ILA Local 1235 and ILA Representative; and Vincent Aulisi, former President of ILA Local 1235, are charged with additional counts of extortion of ILA members. Ruiz is also charged with obstructing justice by impeding a grand jury investigation. In total, the superseding indictment contains allegations regarding the extortion of 28 victims.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jacquelyn M. Kasulis and Jack Dennehy of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of New York, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Mahajan, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of New Jersey.

And...this one

PNCT General Foreman Suspended by Commission after Arrest and Indictment on Multiple Extortion Charges.

December 15, 2011

PNCT General Foreman Michael Nicolosi was arrested this morning after being indicted federally on extortion conspiracy and multiple counts of extortion involving the forced collection of Christmas tributes from ILA members to the Genovese Family.

His license as a longshoreman was suspended by Commission vote pending an administrative hearing on the charges.

On The Waterfront

Things haven't changed much on the NY/NJ Piers.

The only difference is now the Waterfront Commission is reporting some of
the problems.

Here are the last few press releases.

WCNYH

Pier Superintendant Arrested and Charged with Managing an Illegal Bookmaking Operation.

December 9, 2011

Maher Terminal Pier Superintendant Joseph Joel DiCosta was arrested this morning by Waterfront Commission detectives and agents from the US Department of Labor on a federal complaint charging him with managing an illegal gambling business in violation of Title 18 USC Section 1955. The complaint charges that DiCosta ran the illegal bookmaking operation from January 2003 to January 2011 utilizing both internet sites and 1-800 telephone numbers.

The criminal case is being prosecuted by the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York.

DiCosta's license as a Pier Superintendant was suspended by the Commission this afternoon pending an Administrative Hearing on the charges.

WCNYH

Genovese Soldier and Checker Plead Guilty in Port Loan Sharking Case.

October 28, 2011

Genovese Soldier Joseph Queli and Checker Nicholas Bergamotto pleaded guilty today before Superior Court Judge Anthony J. Mellaci, Jr. in Monmouth County, New Jersey.

Queli pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Criminal Usury (loan sharking) and Money Laundering as well as Filing False Tax Returns. Under the plea agreement, Queli will be sentenced to seven years in state prison.

Bergamotto pleaded guilty to Money Laundering and will be sentenced to a term of probation. Bergamotto has been suspended from the Waterfront since his arrest on April 22, 2010. Both Bergamotto and Queli were highlighted in the Commission’s Public Hearings held last year.

The indictment was the result of an on-going investigation by the Waterfront Commission and the New Jersey Attorney General’s Division of Criminal Justice into organized crime in the Port.

WCNYH

ILA Local 1 Trustee and Shop Steward Removed from Waterfront for Theft, Frauds, and Association with Organized Crime

October 25, 2011

By Commission Order, dated October 25, 2011, William A. Vitale, a suspended shop steward at Maher Terminals and a trustee of ILA Local 1, was removed from working on the Waterfront for the theft of $96,582.75 from Maher Terminals, committing frauds in connection with a sworn interview conducted by the Commission, and associating with an associate of the Genovese Crime Family.

On April 28, 2011, in Union County Superior Court, Vitale pleaded guilty to theft by deception (a crime of the 3rd degree). On September 23, 2011, the Court sentenced Vitale to three (3) years probation and ordered him to pay restitution of $96,582.75 to Maher Terminals, forfeit his Waterfront registration, and resign his position with the ILA. Vitale admitted that he lied and caused false time records to be created which resulted in Maher Terminals paying him for hours that he did not work. He also testified falsely during a sworn Commission interview in response to questions concerning his presence in Florida, California, and Aruba, when he was paid for working at the terminal. Vitale also visited in prison Joseph Lore, an associate of the Genovese Crime Family on the ILA Ethical Practices Counsel’s Barred List, who was convicted of charges pertaining to embezzlement from ILA Local 1588 and using intimidation or force against a witness. Both Vitale and Lore were subjects of testimony during the Commission's 2010 Public Hearings pertaining to "no show" jobs and organized crime associations on the waterfront.

The case was investigated by the Waterfront Commission and prosecuted by the New Jersey Attorney General's Division of Criminal Justice.

WCNYH

Longshoreman suspended by Commission after being arrested for bookmaking on behalf of the Gambino Family

October 20, 2011

Longshoreman Michael Bolger and ten others have been arrested and indicted on charges of Enterprise Corruption, Promoting Gambling in the First Degree, and Conspiracy in the Fifth Degree. The charges allege that Bolger and his co-defendants operated an illegal gambling ring on behalf http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifof the Gambino Crime Family in parts of New York and New Jersey from 2010 to 2011. Bolger has been suspended by the Commission pending an administrative hearing to determine whether his registration as a longshoreman should be revoked. The Organized Crime Task Force of the Office of the New York State Attorney General is prosecuting the case.

click here for link to Waterfront Commission web-site

ILA admits Mob still a problem on NY/NJ docks

From the Journal of Commerce, who has covered the Waterfront Commission hearings.

Mob ‘Schemes’ Persist on Docks, Monitor Says
Joseph Bonney | Dec 2, 2010 10:24PM GMT

............

“The schemes are still there. … If you eliminate that, you’re going to bring the costs down,” said Robert C. Stewart, deputy administrator of International Longshoremen’s Association Local 1588, which has been under a court-appointed monitor since 2003.

Stewart testified in the last of six hearings the Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor held to highlight no-show jobs and other practices it says drive up costs and invite Mafia influence at the port.

I guess the Waterfront commission hearings are over. This is how it wrapped up.

The hearings ended with the display of several complex charts detailing family and other connections between Genovese crime family members and ILA officials and members that Commissioner Ron Goldstock said included a “privileged few” who received high pay for relatively little work.

Stewart testified that the court-appointed administrators at Local 1588 struggled to break a “culture of corruption” reinforced by decades of Genovese crime family control. He said the mob used its influence over company hiring agents to demand payoffs for jobs and training and relief assignments that led to higher-paying jobs.

He said Local 1588 members used to have to buy tickets to an annual Christmas party of Nicholas Furina, a hiring agent who was banned from the docks after pleading guilty to extorting union members for jobs. He said that practice was banned after the monitors took over.

“People think that if there’s not gunplay down on the piers and people getting beat up and thrown in the river, things must be OK. That’s not the case,” Stewart said.

So, it's improved a little from the days of "On The Waterfront", but not by much.


click here for link to article

And more from the NY/NJ Waterfront

Oh, this is just so funny. Tony Soprano would be smacking them up the side of the head.

More from the Waterfront Commission hearings, as reported in the Journal of Commerce.

"I don't like the idea that the Waterfront Commission wants to run my business. That's what you guys want to do," American Stevedoring CEO Sabato Catucci told a commission hearing. "If you want to run my business, buy me out and take me over and you try to get more productivity out of the port."

Catucci testified in the fourth in a series of hearings the agency has held to highlight what Commissioner Ron Goldstock said was "literally alarming" evidence of no-show jobs, favoritism in hiring and organized crime influence that "adversely affects the ability of the port to be competitive." ILA officials are scheduled to testify Nov. 18.

Catucci and Jim Devine, chief executive of GCT USA, which owns Global Terminal and New York Container Terminal, took issue with what they saw as suggestions that mobsters dominate the port.

and here's the clincher

"There is no goddamn organized crime influence on the day-to-day decisions we make, in any way, shape or form," Devine said.

Oh, so not the "day-to-day", but just the monthly stuff?

NY/NJ Terminal Operators and the ILA

You just can't make this stuff up!

The Waterfront Commission is now trying to do it's job (since they have been threatened with being made extinct), and have started questioning the employment practices on the waterfront.

The most recent abuse which came to light are the timekeepers, which are generally paid for more than 24 hours a day, as they are apparently doing the job of 3 people.

When questioning the terminal operator why this can't job can't be computerized to save money, here was the discussion, are report in the Journal of Commerce.

Terminal executives disputed Goldstock's (from the Waterfront Commission) suggestion that ILA timekeepers and shop stewards have undemanding jobs that allow them to collect pay of up to $464,000 for working only a few hours a day at jobs they got through inside connections. Devine said NYCT once tried to hire fill-in timekeepers and "burned through about a half-dozen people that couldn't do the job."

Couldn't the work of a timekeeper with six-figure pay be done by a skilled data entry worker making $20 or $25 an hour? Goldstock asked.

"Those people don't have an ILA contract," Curto replied.

HA HA HA

I guess that just gives an indication of what caliber of people belong to the ILA.


click here for link to article

Ports at New Jersey/New York return to work

From The Journal of Commerce

The two-day work stoppage at the six container terminals in the Port of New York and New Jersey ended early Wednesday afternoon when the Philadelphia ILA local whose picket lines had caused the shutdown of the terminals called off the picketing.

click here for complete article

Correction- ILA shuts down all terminal work at NY/NJ

Yesterday I wrote that the truckers were the ones hurt by the ILA strike, that the ships were still being loaded/unloaded. This was incorrect.

Apparently all work stopped on the terminals.

And, despite a court injunction yesterday afternoon, there is yet again no work today.

Yes, the ILA is thumbing their nose at the court, and, I guess they can't read, because there is a "no strike clause" in their contract.


What thugs. Yes, thugs.

Next thing you know they will be bashing out car windows with tire irons.

From The Journal of Commerce

The New York Shipping Association went to court Tuesday afternoon to seek an injunction against the work stoppages, which was granted by Judge Debevoise.

“We feel strongly that these actions by the ILA, in refusing to cross a non-bona-fide line, are a violation of the no-strike clause of our current collective bargaining agreement,” said Joseph C. Curto, president of the New York Shipping Association, in a statement issued Tuesday. “We further believe these actions are completely irresponsible and accordingly we will explore all possible remedies to end this illegal action.”