Feb. 19, 2014
Photo courtesy philadelphia.cbslocal.com
The Federal Bureau of Investigation indicted 10 union members this week for allegedly perpetrating acts of violence on their community, including burning down a church in 2012.
“While unions have the right to legally advocate on behalf of their members, my office will not tolerate the conduct of those who use violence to further union goals,” said United States Attorney Zane David Memeger. “Union officials and members who commit arson, destroy property, use threats of physical harm, and engage in other acts of violence to extort victims on behalf of their union need to be criminally prosecuted.”
Law enforcement officials arrested 10 members of Philadelphia’s Ironworkers Local 401 and charged them with participating in “a conspiracy to commit criminal acts of extortion, arson, destruction of property, and assault” in an attempt to force construction contractors to hire union ironworkers, the FBI said Tuesday in a press release.
“Specifically, the indictment charges RICO conspiracy, violent crime in aid of racketeering, three counts of arson, two counts of use of fire to commit a felony, and conspiracy to commit arson,” it continued. “Eight of the 10 individuals named in the indictment are charged with conspiring to use Ironworkers Local 401 as an enterprise to commit criminal acts.”
The FBI indictment goes on to list the dark details of the union plot.
The 10 defendants had a network of co-conspirators who helped them sniff out construction jobs where the work was being done by non-union laborers, according to the indictment.
Business agents would then approach construction foremen at those sites and “imply or explicitly threaten violence, destruction of property or other criminal acts unless union members were hired,” it adds.
The scheme depended on the defendants’ alleged reputation for “violence and sabotage,” which was apparently established in the community a long time ago. Backed by fear of retribution, the defendants were able to strong arm contractors into hiring union members.
The indictment alleges that the defendants established “goon” squads, made up almost entirely of union workers, to “commit assaults, arsons, and destruction of property.”
One squad even referred to itself as “The Helpful Union Guys,” or “THUG” for short.