No Show Jobs - An American Tradition

An American Tradition rooted in the Mafia, Unions and general government corruption reaching back to the Roman Empire

The Lowdown on No-Show Workers: A Rough Ride Through Time, Unions, and Crooks

Well, folks, let’s talk about something that’s been a thorn in the side of honest work for a long time: no-show workers. These are the fellas—and sometimes gals—who get paid to sit on their backsides and do nothing. They’re on the payroll, but you won’t catch them punching a clock or lifting a finger. It’s a racket, plain and simple, and it’s been around longer than you might think. We’re going to take a trip through history, peek at how unions got tangled up in it, sniff out the organized crime stink, and map where this mess pops up across the good ol’ U.S. of A. Buckle up—it’s a wild one.

What’s a No-Show Worker, Anyway?

First off, let’s get clear on what we’re dealing with. A no-show worker is someone who’s supposed to have a job but doesn’t show up for it. They still get a paycheck, though, like magic. How does that happen? Usually, it’s because somebody—maybe a union boss, a shady manager, or a mobster—fixes it so they don’t have to work. It’s a scam, and it’s been stealing money from honest folks for decades. You might find them in construction, trucking, docks, or even city jobs like sanitation. Anywhere there’s a payroll, there’s a chance for this nonsense.

Now, this isn’t just some modern problem. It’s got roots deep in the dirt of American working life. Let’s roll back the clock and see how it started.

History: From Sweat to Slackers

Back in the old days—say, the 1800s—work was tough. Factories were popping up, railroads were stretching across the land, and folks were busting their humps for pennies. Most workers didn’t have unions or fancy laws to protect them. If you didn’t show up, you didn’t eat. Simple as that. But as cities grew and jobs got bigger, so did the chances to cheat the system.

By the late 1800s, unions started rising up. They were supposed to fight for the little guy—better pay, shorter hours, safer shops. And they did, mostly. But some folks saw a way to twist it. Around the turn of the century, you started hearing about “ghost workers”—guys on the books who didn’t exist or didn’t work. Bosses might pad the payroll to skim cash, or union fellas might sneak their pals in for a free ride. It wasn’t called “no-show jobs” yet, but the game was the same.

Take the railroads, for instance. By the 1900s, they were a big deal, and so were the crews building them. Some foremen would list extra names—cousins, buddies, or nobodies—and pocket the wages. It was small potatoes then, but it set the stage. When the Great Depression hit in the ‘30s, jobs got scarce, and folks got desperate. That’s when no-show schemes started blooming like weeds. City projects—like those New Deal builds—had guys sitting pretty while others swung hammers. It wasn’t everywhere, but it was enough to notice.

World War II came, and things tightened up for a bit. Everybody was working—or fighting. But after the war, in the ‘50s and ‘60s, the economy boomed, and so did the rackets. Unions were strong, cities were growing, and crooks found no-show jobs a sweet way to cash in. By the ‘70s and ‘80s, it was a full-blown problem, tied up with unions and mobsters. We’ll get to that in a minute. Point is, this isn’t new—it’s just gotten slicker over time.

Unions: Heroes or Hustlers?

Now, let’s talk unions. Back in the day, they were a lifeline. Workers were getting crushed—12-hour days, no breaks, kids losing fingers in machines. Unions like the United Auto Workers (UAW) or the Teamsters said, “Enough!” They fought for fair pay and rules, and they won a lot. But power’s a funny thing—it can go to your head.

By the mid-1900s, some unions got cozy with no-show jobs. How? Well, imagine you’re a union boss. You control who gets hired on a big job—like a skyscraper or a highway. You slip your brother-in-law or your poker buddy onto the list. They don’t show up, but the paycheck does. Maybe you split it with them, maybe you don’t. Either way, it’s money for nothing. This happened a lot in places like construction or trucking, where unions ran the show.

Take the Teamsters, for example. They were huge—truckers, warehouse guys, you name it. In the ‘50s and ‘60s, their bigwig Jimmy Hoffa was a legend. He fought for workers, sure, but he also played dirty. Hoffa got tied up with no-show scandals—guys getting paid to “watch” empty lots or “guard” trucks that never moved. The union said it was about jobs for members, but a lot of folks smelled a rat. Hoffa disappeared in ‘75—poof, gone—and folks still whisper the mob had a hand in it. More on that later.

Other unions fell into it too. The Longshoremen on the docks—guys loading ships—had no-shows aplenty. A fella might “work” a shift but spend it at the bar, thanks to a union deal. The UAW got hit with it in the ‘80s when car plants slowed down. Bosses and union reps worked together sometimes, keeping ghost workers on to fudge the books. It wasn’t all unions, mind you—most were legit—but the bad apples gave them a black eye.

Today, unions aren’t what they used to be. Membership’s down, and laws are tighter. But no-show jobs still sneak in. A 2020 report found city workers in places like Chicago and Philly sometimes clocked in without showing up, thanks to union deals. It’s quieter now, but the ghost of it lingers.

Organized Crime: The Mob Moves In

Here’s where it gets juicy. No-show workers didn’t just happen because of lazy union guys or sneaky bosses. Organized crime—the mob, the Mafia, La Cosa Nostra—saw gold in it. These weren’t your cartoon gangsters with tommy guns (well, sometimes they were). They were smart, and they loved a hustle.

Back in the ‘20s and ‘30s, the mob got its claws into unions. Prohibition—when booze was illegal—made them rich, but they needed more. Unions were perfect. They had muscle, money, and jobs to control. The Mafia started with the tough stuff—extortion, threats, busting heads. If a union didn’t play ball, somebody got hurt. But no-show jobs? That was their masterpiece.

Picture this: New York, 1950s. The docks are crawling with mob guys. The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) was their playground. They’d put “workers” on the payroll—cousins, goons, nobodies—who never touched a crate. The cash flowed, and the mob took a cut. It wasn’t just docks, either. Construction in Jersey, trucking in Chicago, even Hollywood unions got hit. The mob ran it like a business.

The Teamsters were a big score. Hoffa didn’t just wink at the mob—he danced with them. They loaned union pension funds to build Vegas casinos, and no-show jobs were part of the deal. A “worker” might get paid to “supervise” a site that was just dirt. By the ‘80s, the feds cracked down with RICO—Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. It nailed mobsters and union crooks, like when they cleaned up the Teamsters in ‘88. But the damage was done.

Other mobs played too. In Philly, the Scarfo family ran construction rackets with no-shows galore. In Boston, Whitey Bulger’s crew muscled into city jobs. It was a coast-to-coast scam. Today, the mob isn’t as loud, but they’re still around. A 2021 bust in New York caught wiseguys running no-show gigs on a highway project. Old habits die hard.

Geographic Mapping: Where the Ghosts Haunt

So where’s this mess happening? Let’s map it out, state by state, city by city. No-show workers pop up where jobs are big, unions are strong, and oversight’s weak. Here’s the rundown, based on history and what’s come up lately.

New York: The granddaddy of no-show land. The docks in Brooklyn and Manhattan were mob central in the ‘50s—think “On the Waterfront.” Construction’s still rotten with it. A 2019 probe found no-shows on subway projects, costing taxpayers millions. Upstate, it’s quieter, but not clean.

New Jersey: Right across the river, Jersey’s a hotbed. The mob loved it—construction, trucking, you name it. Newark and Camden had no-shows in city jobs back in the ‘80s, and a 2022 audit caught sanitation workers “working” from home—permanently.

Illinois: Chicago’s the king here. The Outfit—Chicago’s Mafia—ran unions like the Teamsters and Laborers. No-shows built the highways in the ‘70s. Today, city hall’s still dodgy—2020 saw aldermen tied to ghost payrolls.

Pennsylvania: Philly’s got scars from the Scarfo days. Construction and docks had no-shows aplenty in the ‘80s. Pittsburgh’s steel unions had it too, back when mills roared. A 2023 sting nabbed city workers clocking in from the golf course.

California: Less mob, more mess. L.A.’s docks and Hollywood unions had no-shows in the ‘60s—Teamsters again. San Francisco’s city jobs got hit in the ‘90s. Recent audits show it’s down, but not out.

Massachusetts: Boston’s a contender. Whitey Bulger’s Winter Hill gang stuffed city payrolls with no-shows in the ‘80s. Construction’s still shaky—2021 had a highway job with “workers” who never showed.

Ohio: Cleveland’s union scene—steel, trucking—had mob-tied no-shows in the ‘70s. Cincinnati’s quieter, but a 2018 probe found city maintenance crews with ghosts.

Michigan: Detroit’s UAW had no-show scandals in the ‘80s, tied to slowdowns. The mob was in deep. Recent years show less, but city jobs still get whispers.

Florida: Miami’s construction boom in the ‘80s brought mob no-shows from New York. Port jobs too. It’s calmed some, but 2020 caught a county gig with fakes.

Texas: Less union, less mob, but still trouble. Houston and Dallas had no-shows in city projects—2022 audits found “workers” cashing checks from the couch.

That’s the big ones, but it’s everywhere to some degree. Small towns get it too—road crews, water plants—anywhere payrolls aren’t watched close. The coasts and Rust Belt take the cake, though. History says it’s where unions and crooks ran wildest.

Wrapping It Up: What’s It Mean?

So, what’s the score? No-show workers have been around since folks figured out how to game a paycheck. History shows it growing from a small-time hustle to a big-time racket. Unions started pure but got muddy—some helped workers, some helped themselves. The mob turned it into an art, milking jobs from New York to L.A. And the map? It’s a mess coast to coast, worst where power and cash collide.

Today, it’s sneakier—computers hide it better, and laws try to stop it. But it isn’t gone. Taxpayers foot the bill, honest workers get mad, and the ghosts keep laughing. Maybe tighter rules, sharper eyes, or just plain decency could kill it. Till then, keep an eye on the payroll, folks. Somebody’s always looking for a free ride.

Source Documents

I used Grok to research for this article. I knew of this practice and with his background in New York construction, I’m sure President Trump does, too. The research is large, so it’s in a separate .pdf

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