But Vaira said Friday that it is common practice for unions attempting to clean house to choose former judges and prosecutors as hearing officers to give the proceedings credibility. In going after the Chicago council, the International goes after the larger family of organized crime in Chicago. A second officer, secretary-treasurer Joseph Lombardo Jr., carries the name of one of Chicago's most infamous mob bosses. Joseph Sr., released from prison five years ago, keeps a low profile in his old Grand Avenue neighborhood, but law enforcement agents suspect he remains in the game. Mobsters pay themselves excessive salaries.
Some schemes result in union members' paying inflated dues.
Others destroy the reputation of the union, making legitimate businesses reluctant to offer jobs. Still other schemes indirectly put the bite on the average consumer and taxpayer, who must pick up the tab for the higher price of building a road or building. When the mob grabs hold of a union, the payroll is padded with wiseguys who do no work but need to show the Internal Revenue Service a legitimate source of income. They extort kickbacks from businesses, usually by threatening physical harm. They ignore union contract provisions, such as a strict adherence to overtime pay, in return for secret cash kickbacks.