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Some like to paint those Americans who lived and worked during those times as the greatest generation. There were exceptions. Instead of locking up the Japanese Americans, they should have locked up the northeast dock workers. They were committing acts of sabotage and work delays impeding the war effort. The only way to get them to do their job was to cut a deal with a mob boss in prison.
I had known about the American government cooperation with Lucky Luciano and the Mafia during WWII and had always considered it a disgusting examples of the kinds of things governments sometimes have to do in time of war. However, I had never heard how bad it was in Australia.
I am somewhat surprised at least a few of the worse examples were not arrested and charged with treason.
they should have locked up the northeast dock workers. They were committing acts of sabotage and work delays impeding the war effort. The only way to get them to do their job was to cut a deal with a mob boss in prison.
Unless I'm missing something your link simply doesn't support your premise.
There were thousands of work stoppages during the war despite both the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) and the American Federation of Labor (AFL) having committed their unions to a no-strike rule for the duration of the war very few if any had anything to do with the mafia or attempts to sabotage the war effort. In fact outside of the 1943 coal miner's strike when half a million miners walked off the job, most of the strikes of the era were relatively small and of short duration.
As for the idea that working men and women in the U.S., Australia and Great Britain who held strike actions during war being rounded up and interned... well that sort of goes against the principle of why western democracies were fighting the Axis powers in the first place don't you think?
Some like to paint those Americans who lived and worked during those times as the greatest generation. There were exceptions. Instead of locking up the Japanese Americans, they should have locked up the northeast dock workers. They were committing acts of sabotage and work delays impeding the war effort. The only way to get them to do their job was to cut a deal with a mob boss in prison.
Not a lot different than what dockworkers on the West coast are doing today.
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