Mafia Job Interview

It was sometime in the late 50s early 60s. As a result of long past union connections I ran into Sam Goldsmith. He had been the czar of the Brooklyn numbers racket. Sometime in the late 50s District Attorney busted that racket. Out of a job, Sam moved into the Tony Ducks Corello Mafia family. Sam convinced me to come have dinner with some of his buddies in the Teamsters Union. Having worked for Dan Tobin President of the Teamsters in the 44 Roosevelt campaign I came to know a lot of these guys. It was many years since I had been expelled 3 times from the Machinists. I was then working as an Engineer for United Shoe Machinery,

The dinner was at Patrisseys restaurant on Kenmare Street short distance from the old NYPD Headquarters. We arrive. There’s a large round table with a 6 or 8 guys and piles of food and booze. They were chowing away and I needed to keep apologizing for interrupting. Frankly they didn’t give a shit who I was anyhow. Sam introduced me as an, “old labor union guy who really knows how to run a union.” Sam and I were squeezed into the table.

From then on I was just a fly on the wall. I heard, “ we gonna haveto blow that Ford dealer in Staten Island cause he ain’t signen up.” Talking in a whisper I ask, “did you win the election?” Oh maybe you didn’t get it either but the whole table is laughing and choking on the pasta. “Heah Sam tell this knuckle head, whoever he is, we don’t do elections. If duh boss don’t go along he might have a fire or a couple of busted heads, like dat and den it’s organized.”

Now Sam is pleading, “Look guys this is just why I brought Bob down here. So he can tell us how to do this legal like. The days of knocking people off is over. (Back then it was known as Murder Incorporated.) We now gotta learn the legal way. It gets us where we wanna be nobody gets hurt and the DA’s are off our ass.”

In the meantime I’m listening to the big guy next to me explaining how stupid he was to “bet a C note on Mickey Mantle cause last night he fixed him up whit his “Chink girl” who musta sucked the life out of him. Shit I don’t think he knew where first base was. He was probably dream-in out there in right field about last night. Man I am dumb.” Sam kept trying mightily to get them talkin about what I had to say. It went nowheres. I was trying to figure out what Sam was up to?

As Sam drove me home to the Bronx he was extolling the wonders of the boys I just had dinner with. “Oh I know you probably think they're just a bunch of thugs. “Sam I never said that you did.” “Man you should see the presents they got my kids at XMas and I’ll tell you if you get in trouble there never was a better bunch of friends. Say a guy gets sent up, is doin time. His salary gets paid every month for as long as your up there. Nothing in your family is gonna stop. Dats how they are. I admit I wasn’t listening to closely to Goldsmiths intention. Then I got it, he wants me to come work for them. What a bizarre notion. I thank him for an interesting evening and let it go at that.

A short time later I get a call from Sam about a meet (that was a meeting in their world.) that was gonna take place on Wed. night at 10 PM Hotel McAlpin on 34 street and Broadway. Sam wanted me to come because they were ready to make me an “offer I couldn’t refuse.” “Why at at 10 PM Sam I go to work in the morning. “That’s the best time to get all the guys we need at the meet and besides that the only time Tony Pro can make it. I must admit I couldn’t resist trying to understand what they were up to. Pro was Tony Provenzano a Capo in the Genovese crime family who ran the New Jersey Teamsters.

Once again my curiosity got the best of me I just had to go. My then wife thought I was surely out of my mind. I assured her they weren’t about to cement shoe me as I had never double crossed them and man did they ever know it.

Back in my union days when DAs pestered me to testify what I knew about their stealing from their members. I told the cops, “Look I have to live in the Labor Movement. yes I complain about racketeers and crooks in our union paper. I repeatedly said, "we have to clean our own house. If the police do it they will end up running the union." The mob trusted me. At the end of WW2 they gave me a major donation for the French Underground fighters.

Here I was at the Hotel McAlpin meet room 432. There was a big conference table covered with pastrami, roast beef, salami sandwiches. All kind of booze and beer. At the head of the long table sat Tony Pro and about a dozen of his Lieutenants. The room looked like a central casting call for really tough looking hoods. I admit I was getting nervous. Sam introduced me as a guy who built and ran the biggest Machinists local in New York City and, “he’s gonna teach us how to run a union without knockin anybody off or burnin the place down. We gonna become respectable.

Sam said, “now ask him anything you want?” As I looked around the room this was clearly a good sample of the Mafia foot soldiers and wheelmen. “Heah you, "were you ever busted, for what?" “Couple times for disorderly conduct on picket lines.” What da fuck is that? He was disorder, they all roared and kept repeating disobey the teacher.” “Okay smart ass. Da bosses aint got enough money for all da guys on da trucks. But they wanna take care of the union guys. Whata you gonna do?”

“Oh I would take the money the bosses are offering and place it in the “Health and Welfare fund.” Another burst of laughter, “the health and what fund?” “Hay ain’t nobody told this knuckle head,"everybody takes. Tony gets top, everybody from dare down gets a share. Dat way nobody gets free to talkin witt da DA. Get it everybody takes. Right Tony.” Tony says nothing just shakes his head in agreement.

The questioning continues along the same line of what if? Sometime around midnight Sam raises his hand to make an announcement. Room falls quiet. Sam unfolds a paper, Commences to read. Robert Schrank New York Sate President of the Machinists Union use to be a communist. Everybody knows, those guys are clean as a hounds tooth. Yupp, thats our man, “clean as a hounds tooth.” he’s the next President of the New Jersey Teamsters.” I’m sitting there thinking, what the hell am I going to do now? Sam nods to Tony Pro.

“Okay Rob, I am now getting inside talk signified by “Rob.” “Okay here’s the deal, $50,000 a year plus expenses and a new Cad. every year.” Wow, now there’s along pause they are waiting for me to say something. I think that's a lot of money, more than I ever dreamed of making. Out of nowhere I say, “Tony thanks so much for your generosity. But what do I do for you?

He leans back in his chair looks around the room as if reviewing his General staff, looks over at me says, "You do whatever I tell you.” I thought wow that’s an honest answer. Sam, I think could sense my doubt about the whole proposition jumped up says, “Now Bob don’t give us an answer right away. Talk it over with your wife.” Out of nowhere's I say, “Sam, Tony, I really appreciate your trust in me but I think you could take anyone of the guys here and they could certainly follow your instruction. You really don’t need me for that.” Tony’s final comment, “I hope you don’t end up on welfare.” “I’m okay with that as long as I can sleep well at night.”

Sam assured me we were still friends and if I ever needed a favor just call. We parted and of course some years later I needed a favor. Congressmen Fino from the Bronx introduced an amendment to the Anti Poverty Bill making it’s way through the House. The amendment was a proposed Loyalty oath. I was a Deputy Manpower Commissioner in the Lindsay years. Fino charged that a notorious communist was running the biggest employment program in the country. The speech was far to intelligent to have been written by Fino.

“Sam, no I don’t want any body cut down at the knees. All I want to know is who wrote the Fino speech?” Sam said, “Christ, that’s all? Be back to you within the hour.” He calls back says, “you know Father Ahern up there in the Powerhouse?” St. Patrick's Cathedral. “Yes of course I do he sits on the Cities Anti Poverty Council. We talk regularly and I am having trouble believing this. Bob you can go and make book on it.” I thanked Sam and he assured me “anytime you need help let me know cause we owe you.” Good By Sam and thanks. I’ll remember that.