Sorry I just spotted your post, Mukremin. And welcome to the Boards! smile
For a thorough understanding of the rackets you cited, you should read Selwyn Raab's "The Five Families," which goes into all of them in brilliant detail. In general, the Mob can dominate a racket like concrete, garbage collection, window replacement, etc., by forming a contractors' "association." This "association" is a Mob front. First they go to the prime contractor for a new office building, and declare that only concrete companies that are members of the "association" will be permitted to work on his site. Then, if you are a concrete contractor, you will be told that you must join the "association" in order to get business. You pay "dues" to the "association" that amount to, say, ten dollars per ton of concrete poured. You tack that cost onto your bill to the prime contractor. He passes that cost onto the building owner, who passes it on to building tenants, etc.

Labor unions have always been a rich source of money and power for the Mob. A Mob will infiltrate a union and have one or more of its members elected or appointed to key positions in the union. Unions have big treasuries made up of dues paid, plus contributions toward pension funds and healthcare. The Mob guys simply plunder the treasuries. Another racket is political power: Mob-controlled unions can endorse politicians, and contribute to their campaigns, in return for political favors. And, Mob-controlled unions can shake down contractors by demanding under-the-table payoffs to officials, as well as dozens of "no-show" jobs. These are well-paid jobs on construction sites that the unions dole out to favored Mob guys who never have to work a single day but still get paid. Hope that helps.


Ntra la porta tua lu sangu � sparsu,
E nun me mporta si ce muoru accisu...
E s'iddu muoru e vaju mparadisu
Si nun ce truovo a ttia, mancu ce trasu.