Detroit evening times., 1943-01-12
Dam loosed
By Conviction
Of Unionis+
$3.50 600 Tribute Exposed
at Trial, So Left
BY WESTBROOK PEGLER

BY WESTBROOK PEGLER
NOR about three years / have
been working on a gang of
racketeers who operate under
charter from Will Green's Amer
ican Federation of Labor under
the title Of the Hod Carriers
and Laborers' Union and now.
at last, il looks as though the
dam has burst.
In Newburgh. ~. Y, p little
back-country crook named Sam
NuzZo has been convicted Of rob-
bing thousands Of migrant work.
ing stiffs. and some local VIC
Tins, who riSked their lives deep
underground in building the
Delaware Aqueduct. a huge tun-
mel under mountains and rivers
10 augment the water supply Of
the city Of New York. The total
cost OF the job will be around
100000, 900, all at public eX-
penSc.
NuZ2o. Of course, is strictly
minor league. an ignorant small
town saloonkeeper and racketeer
who found himself IN possession
of piece OF paper. a charter,
that had little value until the
big international bosses of the
hod carriers allotted TO his local
jurisdiction over that portion of
the big job which lay on the
west side Of the Hudson River.
After the h ore crossed the
river 10 the east side, lurlsdic-
tion belonged 10 James Bove the
boss Of Local 90 of Yonkers who
is also fourth vice president OF
the big international union.
nURING the trial il was teSti-
~ fled that Bove was the one
who awarded Nuzzo jurisdiction
over the work on the west shore
and that NuZZo told his record
ing secretary he was sending
regular payments 10 Bove as his
cut of the revenues from the
StIffS, in return for granting him
the shake-down rights on the
west shore.
Nuzzo also testified that Bove
supervised his accounts and
suspended membership meetings
Of his. Nuzzo'S, local. in 1887 for
two years because the meetings
were becoming disorderly, The
disorder was caused by demands
Of the members for an account
ing Of their money.
During the great harvest,
NuzZo'S union collected initIa-
tion fees and dues from 6,94S
members listed on the books and
from an unknown number of un-
listed suckers. most of whom are
now scattered from Panama 70
Alaska on construction Jobs or
the world over in the armed
forces.
In a little less than FIVE years,
according 10 NuzZo's own books
the stiffS were shaken down for
S260.0 900 for the right 10 work,
of which only SO remained in the
dampcrwhen a successor, chosen
by ballot under a court order.
took over last February. The
state charged that tho total loot
amounted to about $500 600.
U
T1IERE were only 80 members
Il when the big job started and
the initiation fee was 81 After
Bove gave Nuzzo the jurisdiction
and the high sign, the initiation
fee was as high as S76, plus dues
/ OF $3.50 a month and various
fees and Shakedown assessments.
The official investigation be-
7 gan last winter when John Ben
nett, the state attorney general.
who recently was defeated for
governor by Tom Dewey, as
signed Edward G.. O'Neill, vet
eran of World War / who was
badly wounded IN action, 10 do
his damnedcst
O'Neill proceeded after the
manner Of Elmer Irey's federal
treasury intelligence men~in an
income tax fraud. lie gathered
good accountant lawyers and a
small group of detectives from
the state police and began by
inspecting books.
The inquiry was surefooted
every step of the way and he
was able 10 make uSe>of leading
but unre lated information.
which in the hands of a news
paper reporter without official
authority could not be applied
effectively.
I NUZZO, Of course, Is n low
~ raCketeer and obviously was
not the genius OF this enormous
Swindle operated in the name
OF labor with an upper case q
and the inquiry and prosecution
Will not stop with him.
Indeed, NuZZo's own state
ments on the stand steered the
further investigation in the
direction OF some of the arro-
CANT hierarchy who run the
international union with head
quarters in Washington, none of
whom, except the secretary
treasurer, ever was legally
elected TO office.
The region in which Nuzzo
operated his thieving operations
is still a happy hunting ground
Tor audaciouS union crooks.