What on Earth do you mean by "openly promote"? As long as you link to the source and/or cite the author in the reproduction, why would you not be able to reproduce an article on the public record? Was there a conversation with the Don that I missed?



Basically, a Union is set up by workers and representatives of a certain industy to ensure fair wages, fair policies and safe work practices for said industry. For example, there are unions for the construction industry, the service industry, the transport industy, etc. Typically, in order to belong to and benefit from the union's policies, workers will pay a nominal fee out of their weekly wages; union 'dues'.

By infilatrating a particular union, mobsters are able to circumvent certain policies (such as charging labour at below the union rate and ignoring safe work policies) and benefit from said dues or union fees with paid jobs, allowing other mobsters to list a legitimate source of income despite not really working at all, ie; no-show jobs or no-work jobs. Hence the term 'labor racketeering'.

As for the kick ups, as has been discussed many times before on this forum, there is often no particular set-rate; a soldier kicks up a portion of whatever it is he earns. Some earn more than others, so by correlation some kick up nmore then others. Following on this, the mobster who engages in the more lucrative rackets is likley to wield more influence and get away with more than the mobster of the same ranking who is involved in less profitable rackets. To paraphrase about a hundred mediocre rappers, "Its all about the benjamins"

As for the making ceremony, it seems like there are a bunch of different versions, depending on which Family and which member is conducting the ceremony. One reads about literal blood rites (where blood is drawn and smeared on the Saint, then burned) to simply burning the Saint, to elaborate counting rituals meant to assign a mentor to the somewhat pathetic (Mike Rizzitello was made by Jimmy the Weasel and 'The Bomp' Bompensiero in the back of a car in California, amid cigar smoke and a the interior light. 'Baldy Mike' Spinelli was made into the Lucchese Family by Gaspipe Casso in a NY prison. They burned toilet paper instead of a Saint and kissed )