The Waterfront Commission of the Port of New York: A History and Appraisal

Abstract

This study recounts the history and evaluates the record of the Waterfront Commission of the Port of New York, established in 1953 to rid the port of organized crime. The agency's ambitious purpose has not been realized, the author finds; for example, in the 1970s an FBI investigation resulted in indictments and convictions of many figures in the New York-New Jersey longshore industry, including the vice-president of the International Longshoremen's Association. The Commission has, however, successfully combatted many blatant forms of corruption that were once commonplace, and in the process significantly improved the longshoremen's working conditions. The Commission's experiences may, the author concludes, be useful in showing what can and cannot be done by government intervention to stem organized crime in an industry.