Goons and Ginks and Company Finks: Organized Crime and Organized Labor in the Great Depression

Pettengill's examination of organized crime in the Great Depression continues with Episode 17 and the Mafia's corruption of organized labor. Focusing on emerging industrial unions in New York, Los Angeles, and Detroit, Pettengill highlights the way organized crime infiltrated, hijacked, and ultimately profited from the desperation of the Depression and workers' attempt to protect themselves through the establishment of industrial unions. Over the course of the next few decades, the Mafia would extort millions of dollars from both labor and management as the unions became yet another racket in organized crimes portfolio.