New Jersey Nightly News; 05/23/1979

New Jersey night was back at school in Trenton and Clayton Vaughn in Newark. Good evening in the news tonight. Tentacle oil has struck natural gas in a Baltimore Canyon off the Jersey coast. It's now up to the jury in the Teamsters labor racketeering trial a new work at the Newark Housing Authority is tightening with police and fire departments over who is responsible for some illegally chemical getting Rebecca. In sports balls online reports on two college baseball teams now competing in national tournaments and on a closer look. The concluding segment in our investigative series on corruption on wheels rocking with the mob. Rebecca Tenneco may have struck it rich in the Baltimore Canyon. It's offshore drilling rigs out natural gas. The company says. Significant amount of gas and it's flowing now a 12 million cubic feet a day. It's the second major five officers and it's only about 10 miles from the first strike a Texaco Well TEPCO says it's too soon to tell whether it's gas by big enough

for commercial development. The labor racketeering trial of former Teamsters boss Anthony Tony brought problems on three of us associates is in the hands of a jury tonight. Deliberations began this afternoon. Reporter Jackie Kennedy has been waiting for the verdict in federal court in New York and files this report Tony Provenzano is accused of being the ringleader in a scheme to sell what prosecutors have called labor peace to a major New Jersey based shipping company the company involved the Sea Train shipping company executives have denied making any deals with Provenzano to avoid trouble with the Teamsters and the longshoreman's unions Provenzano and the other defendants are also facing charges they organized and ran a nonunion trucking companies to search the train and in some cases laundered payoff money through phony trucking outfits. The key government witness is paid informant route for cargo a one time chauffeur for province and a man defense attorneys have characterized as a pathological liar.

Ricardo's testimony is virtually the only evidence linking Provenzano to the scheme. But defense attorneys say they're afraid he'll be convicted on the notoriety of his name because all four man here have been linked to the disappearance of former Teamsters boss Jimmy Hoffa. The jury of five minutes seven women has been sequestered throughout the trial. Judge Curtis meanor did not want them affected by the massive publicity surrounding the case. The jury deliberations will continue this evening at a federal courthouse in New York. I'm Jack already questionable dealings with organized crime is the charge being leveled against this world. That's the company scheduled to open an Atlantic City casino next month. The Securities and Exchange Commission may take legal action against the because of business dealings between the company's board chairman and suspected organized crime associates. New Jersey's Casino Control Commission is scheduled to begin hearings on Caesar's casino license next week. I'd like cities less to plan does not adequately provide for residents pushed out by casino development. That's the basis of a report sent to Atlantic City officials by state Public

Advocate Stanley Van Ness. According to Van Ness the master plan includes 130 pages devoted to bike paths but only three pages dealing with relocation of people. Venice is asking that the plans concerning the south inlet be rejected until an analysis can be made of the impact on several thousand residents in the area. The Newark Housing Authority is now under attack for allegedly allowing dangerous chemicals to be dumped on its land. The land in question is a newer Ironbound section. Reggie Wells has more. The drums in this Newark lot are similar to those discovered at an Elizabeth chemical dump site several months ago. How did they get there and how will they be removed. The answer to these questions lie in a series of finger pointing exercises by various new works of the agency This site is owned by the new accounting authority an agency responsible for development of these newer Medlen. But the Housing Authority says it's been unable to do anything about illegal dumping. After 5:00 PM The area is uninhabited and people can drive in and dump chemicals

or whatever without being detected. And the director of redevelopment of the housing authority says this is an ongoing problem. Well there's been a number of attempts to solve the problem. The issue of course is the enforcement issue and the second issue is the remedy. We've had a number of conversations historically with the department of police as well as the fire department you know gauging and surveillance activity they've been most cooperative. However they just don't have sufficient resources. Ironically the Housing Authority was told by a fire inspector today that the city of Newark in the fire department intended to cite the authority for the toxic chemicals left here by anonymous offenders. We attempted to contact the fire department but were unable to verify that although it's a criminal offense to dump refuse or chemicals in the area and the city post signs the housing authority says the police department claiming to be short handed says it cannot do anything about the problem and it's unable to back up these threats with the proles. The

Housing Authority says it would like to wash its hands of the whole affair. They say they should be spending their money on housing and redevelopment not the removal of hazardous chemicals. They say it will cost close to $250 to remove each of these drums. There may be a lot of finger pointing in this situation with nobody seeming to point a finger at a solution. The root of the problem seems to be money until it's decided who has the responsibility for cleaning up this land and until there is some money available for policing the area. Indiscriminate dumping could go on here for quite some time in the Ironbound section of Newark. I'm red well. About 150 residents of Jackson Township who have been using propped in waters ans last November when officials discovered there well water was poisoned. Got some more bad news today. The state rejected the town's plans for a municipal water system to replace the contaminated wells. State officials say Jackson is in the pine lands preservation area for a moratorium issued by Governor Byrne has outlawed in a new construction including water systems and downs as it will try to get a waiver exempted from the moratorium.

Jersey Central Power and life continued to defend its need for a 113 million dollar rate hike today as hearings by the State Board of Public Utilities went in for the third day here in Newark. The company says it's going broke without the hike. A public advocate says that the hike should not be granted while Jersey Central is paying dividends to stockholders and other hearings around the state last night. One legislator are called on the federal government to help out another suggested nationalization of the utilities and oil companies are backing. New Jersey has just hired a forecaster to help predict future energy needs in the state. The Department of Energy announced it has hired the Rutgers University Center for Urban Policy Research commissioner Joel Jacobson says the thinktank will be able to predict future supplies of and demand for gasoline heating oil natural gas and electricity commissioner Jacobson said forecasters are used in industry. And with the current energy crisis the state too needs its own crystal ball. Clayton about 60 ton steam locomotive

charges of international thievery from Panama is now on an industrial siding in Paterson or it will eventually be part of a historic display. The engine which helped build the Panama Canal has been on display there since it was taken out of service in 1955 it was given to Prado some by the Panama Canal Company only after the objections of some Panamanians locomotive It is said was so well liked that its first engineer on his death will get his cremated ashes put in the locomotives Phar box. Rebecca We don't know yet what the weather will be like for the Memorial Day weekend hopefully better than what's predicted for the next few days. Tonight heavy rains track of a thunderstorm. Temperatures in the mid 50s to low 60s throughout the state. Tomorrow will be cloudy with rain throughout the day. Highs in the mid 60s in the north and in the upper 60s in the south. And it looks like more great weather on Friday. It'll be mostly cloudy and cool and again a chance of rain. This week we talk about foster care as originally conceived foster care

is meant to be a temporary plan for a child whose parents are unable to care for him. Eventually the child has to be returned to his real home. When his parents are able to care for in theory the plan is an ideal one to learn how to care in New Jersey Jersey. Thursday at 10:30 on the New Jersey public television there's a trade in Major League Baseball and here things are back in the New York Yankees today traded right handed pitcher Dick TD road to the Chicago Cubs in exchange the Yankees get another right hander Ray Burress college ball fairly Dickinson as a new baseball coach kind of Johnny who coached at between 1970 and 76 will be returning to that school after two years as a manager in the minor leagues. Other college baseball Hall is right now in Tallahassee Florida for the eastern region beginning Friday. Five other teams are in that tournament the winner will advance to the College World Series in Omaha Nebraska Seton Hall has been to the World Series four times most recently in

1975. Pirates record right now 32 and 9. The softball team from Rutgers meanwhile is already in for their national tournament. Rutgers is possibly the number one softball team in the entire country. First big aspirants for boards. The Rutgers team has only been in existence for five years and in that short time the team is surpassed everyones expectations. Women have gone to the eastern regionals three out of those five years and this year they finished undefeated at 24 in all and they made it to the national tournament. Head coach Judy wrote it was with the team from the start. It's really amazing that we've come a long way in such a short amount of time. It's a combination of many factors. I think you're talking about the interests of the students as far as getting out and participating in a lot of good coaching staff the support of the university and I think it's been all there for us. Rutgers pitcher Howie Cohen is the team's star one of the fastest pitchers in the country she has an earned run average of two point thirty three and one hundred thirty two strike outs this season. Her strategy on the mound

always keep them guessing. That's probably the biggest asset mixing your pitches and throwing off speed and keeping the batter and the team getting records plays their first game tomorrow night against the University of Northern Colorado and since records are the only team going into the Nationals that's undefeated. They like to be the only team coming out of the Nationals that the undefeated record the university I'm forced to guess with the cosmos will be without Franz Beckenbauer for eight to 10 weeks. This morning Beckenbauer underwent surgery for the removal of cartilage from his right knee. And superstar Johan Cruyff will not be joining the New Jersey Americans after all. There had been speculation that it signed with the Americans but last night he signed on instead with the Los Angeles Aztecs of the North American Soccer League. Many consider the Dutchman to be the finest player in the game today. However despite their failure to sign the Americans say they'll continue to try and land some big name international players and that's for Rebecca. Thanks Paul.

For the past fair an exhibit of different types of transportation attracted thousands of tourists. It was held at the national aviation facility center near Atlantic City but the exhibits and the state withdrew support in fact the only real money maker at the fair with the air show. This week the Navy's Blue Angels backed out and that according to officials killed any hope of a successful TransFair which means there won't be a TransFair this year. Jersey public school in enforcing a portion of the New Jersey constitution on public education of education in New Jersey will be highlighted on the special report. Education Commissioner Fred judge just active at a town meeting in Montclair New Jersey Public Television.

And a closer look over the past two nights we have explored corruption within the troubled trucking industry here in New Jersey trucking with the ports are on the complex schemes organized crime uses to infiltrate legitimate business. Now the conclusion. So far we've seen how trucking one of New Jersey's most important industries is under attack by organized crime. A perfectly legitimate practice known as Labor leasing has been used by some mob connected companies as a means of driving with a cracking firms out of business. We learned how the United States Justice Department is investigating the activities of Eugene Botha Sr. of Hackensack New Jersey based leasing firms are viewed by law enforcement agencies as merely fronts with convicted murderer and former Teamsters union official Anthony Robbins and reputed mob chiefs and Russell Buffalo you know actually controlling these operations

and organized crime reaping the profits. Drivers working for boss complain about long hours and dangerous working conditions but their union the Teamsters has remained silent leading to speculation that the union's leaders have somehow been bought off. Eugene Botha isn't the only person with a questionable past to get involved in labor leasing. There are dozens of less famous entrepreneur as well. Followed by Office example. The supermarket industry is one area where mob dominated unions have attempted to use their influence. Perhaps the best known case involves a MP and Joseph pakora the powerful secretary treasurer of Teamsters Local 863. Based in Mountainside local 863 represents almost all of the truckers who work for New Jersey supermarkets. Drivers at shoprite Pathmark Foodtown an ANP all belong to local 863. If the union wants it can cripple the operations of just about any chain. This is given local 863 a good deal of influence. Just because SR has dominated local 863 for years in

1071 testimony before the US Senate Commerce Committee. Just because I was identified by law enforcement authorities as a lieutenant in the Genovese catena crime family. Gerardo Cortina according to federal authorities was the boss of the Genovese family during the 1960s in the early 1970s allegedly controlling local 863 through Joseph Acorah this detergent called Ecology was one of a number of products that the catena family was trying to market during the 1960s. Most areas supermarkets carry the mob back detergent but ANP refused. Investigators believe the container told Joseph ecard to put pressure on a MP to threaten them with labor union trouble. When a MP still refused to cooperate. Things turned ugly with 16 ANP properties firebombed and two store managers killed. None of these crimes was ever solved. When Joseph because I was questioned by a Senate committee about these incidents he took the Fifth Amendment 35 times. Ecology was taken off the market by the federal government which labeled it

a health hazard but with organized crime moving into the labor leasing business it would seem logical that the Genovese catena family would follow suit. Jonathan Quick is a reporter you also wrote vicious circles a book which probes the role of organized crime in the American economy. He spoke with New Jersey Nightly News producer Bill Line run off for the second biggest racket and that's sort of past couple of years it made the biggest racket going contract where you have some of the major corporations biggest corporations in the country willing to sell off their own workforce by hiring ex-convicts people to deal with the basest elements of our society. They're willing to hire these racketeers to. Take over the supply of labor to big companies. Over the past few years New Jersey supermarket chains have become more and more dependent on labor leasing

services renting truck drivers just as they might hire secretaries or other temporary help. A spokesman for the chains claim that it is an economic necessity. What is disturbing is not so much the use of labor leasing services by the supermarkets but their repeated use of labor leasing firms that appear to have time. As with the Corps and teachers of local 863. Pathmark for example hires part time or for GM truck drivers from the kana labor supply. Documents on file with the New Jersey secretary of state show that the count was formed in 1977. Its sole Director Thomas Pickard the son of Teamsters boss Joseph. Thomas is pictured here on the far left at a family gathering with his wife mother and father. State records list the cannas business addresses 100 COTTONTAIL lane in Somerset a visit to that location reveals it to be path marks bakery division warehouse to Pathmark employees when questioned freely admitted that they can and did indeed operate out of this warehouse. No other

trucking company dealing with Pathmark enjoys this overwhelming competitive advantage. Compare the Pathmark to kana warehouse to the office of copper brothers trucking in Newark Gapper brothers also provided drivers for Pathmark until according to company president Gus Capra Pathmark suddenly stopped calling Pathmark continues to run drivers from to camp. Can a drivers who have worked for Pathmark complain about being paid less than Pathmark regular drivers in fact receiving far less than lease drivers Pathmark has rented from companies other than to Cana. Pathmark declined to have a representative appear on camera. However a spokesman for the chain acknowledges that his firm used labor leased drivers and that they knew Thomas because I was associated with the Cannell labor supply the same representative claim that they can only rented space at the Pathmark bakery warehouse and that the chain had no idea whatsoever of how much or how little they counted drivers were being paid. Despite repeated visits to the cannas offices and

repeated phone calls we were unable to find anyone connected with the camera who was willing to speak with us. Company drivers at food down supermarkets are also upset about labor leasing last month food company employees staged a two week strike. The issue the use of a rented truck drivers. But what the Foodtown drivers didn't know was that some of the lease drivers they feared were stealing their jobs were being supplied by the kana labor supply. The company founded by Thomas book ora the son of the head of their own Teamsters Local Number 8 63. The Foodtown drivers were also unaware that their strike was being broken. Drivers operating equipment either owned or rented to gross and Hec trucking company for making deliveries to the strike down food towns. This gross and hex truck was photographed on the evening of April 19th making a nighttime delivery to a food town in Newark. When questioned about the strike and the chains trucking policies representatives declined comment. Grossman Hecht usually hauls freight exclusively

for and pay drivers employed by the firm are members of Joe because teams as well call 863 the same local is on strike at food down. Despite this Joseph and the offices of local 863 made no effort to stop the deliveries being made by the gross and Hec drivers. When we call local 863 for information no one was available for comment and our calls were not returned. Thomas because attorney has stated previously that Mr. pakora has severed his relationship with the Canada labor supply but this separation may be more apparent than real. A copy of the Canadas most recent annual report lists one Anthony can sell as president of the firm. We have seen a copy of Mr. cancel his driver's license renewal application on the rear of the form. He didn't write that he was president of the kana. Instead in the space provided he wrote that he worked for another company. One called Federico trucking. Listed into Canada's annual report as vice president can also be found on the payroll log of Federico trucking. When

we examined Thomas because driver's license renewal application we found that he too had indicated that he was an employee of veteran eco trucking. In other words all of the principals involved in the Cana labor supply are also associated with the Federico trucking company. Records on file with the secretary of state list Federico trucking his business address as building number 436 at the Raritan industrial center in Edison. This is building for 30 secs. It would appear that Federico trucking like they can our labor supply enjoys a special relationship with supermarkets. In this case Shoprite industry sources claim that Federico has been supplying trucks and drivers for Shoprite since 1974. Getting in touch with anyone associated with Federico Trucking is a little difficult. We went to the address listed in their ad in the Plainfield phonebook but it turned out to be a garden apartment complex where no one seems to have even heard of Federico trucking. The telephone number listed in the ad has been disconnected. Shoprite failed to return repeated phone calls. One day we saw Thomas book or

leaving his home in Springfield on his way to work. Later we found his car at the ShopRite Federico warehouse. But while his car was there the guard told us that Mr pakora was still the guard assured us that Mr pakora was a manager at the plant and we should come back again if we wanted to see him. On another visit Mr. pre-chorus car was again there. But once more no one could find Tom pakora for us. A number of Shoprite employees did want to talk with us however they told producer Bill Line run off or how drivers working for Federico trucking help to break a strike called by shop REITs own employees. Several weeks earlier while members of a local 863 struck the ShopRite bakery warehouse in Addison Federico drivers helped management haul in baked goods from a plant in Pennsylvania. The workers expressed their bitterness. There was an official local 863 strike being broken by drivers working for the son of their own union leader. The employees of Federico trucking aren't happy about this situation either. They complain about long hours working 70 80 90 hours a week. They didn't want to talk to us on

camera the same way that members of Teamsters Local 863 won't confront their leader Joseph Acorah with these charges. Frank Greco is a member of a reform group within the Teamsters Union role of the people that I've spoke to when 863 feel that he does not represent them properly. He doesn't give them their full representation. They're afraid of him. They're afraid to express themselves. For reprisal be it economic or physical. That's the reputation he has whether it's earned or not and by that's another question I've read enough of books and. Stuff that would offer people that I've heard so many times that I have to believe that I have to believe that his track record is the different investigations that he's involved in one thing or another but I'd say that. He's a person the beefier. Supermarket chain is just like the truck drivers they hire can be intimidating. Almost all the chains we spoke with admitted that they hired labor leaders drivers some supplied by firms with apparent links to join the chorus family. I mean it's the same kind of typical. The mob has been

running for years but for a mobster to be associated with labor unions to be an officer of the labor union and also to be helping sell goods to supermarket chains is something that's been going on in this area for 40 years and detail Service describes instance after instance of where this is happened with everything from bagels to kosher all kinds of meat to soft goods everything that's distributed in this way. Obviously. It. Would be an easy system to extort money. There are only a handful of employees that will ever speak up and tell the truth. There are only a handful of union officials that will tell the truth. Basically they were more honest employees and more honest Teamster officials than there are dishonest. So how do we have the situation we have. We were all been intimidated. It's as simple as that.

And it has a profound effect it has a very negative effect on ourselves off families in our society as a whole. This country is a big trouble. Perhaps one of the most sobering things that we discovered while preparing this report is a sense of frustration that seems to permeate the trucking industry. Legitimate trucking companies which have to compete against mob back firms that get sweetheart deals find it difficult sometimes impossible to survive. Honest truck drivers both Teamsters and their nonunion brother and would like to see things change but they're afraid both for their jobs and for their lives. Large corporations concede that they have to make a deal with the mob before their competition dies. There is only one force strong enough to break this cycle of fear and that's the federal government. But the people who want things to change. The honest Teamsters legitimate truckers the officers of concerned corporations wonder. Why is the government's attack on the mob so limited. And why is it taking so long.

Once again our top stories says it's found a significant amount of natural gas off the Jersey coast. The jury is deliberating the fate of three of their associates. The state's public advocate says Atlantic City's new master plan pays more attention to bike paths. Than it does to people. The Securities and Exchange Commission may take action against what the FCC says are questionable with alleged underworld figures. And Jackson plan to replace them poisoned with the new water system has been stalled by Governor Burns moratorium. And that's the news for the new. Nightly News presentation. The program is broadcast weeknights at 6:30 on Channel 13 and the

New Jersey public television broadcast 10:00 p.m. on New Jersey and channel 13. And. Then it's time for the ticket number for the 23rd. Lottery. Number.

The winning number in the order. Thank you. Ron.