Charlestown

By David C. Martin

Charlestown is a fictional story about the plight of Boston Taxi Cab drivers in the early 1980s and their struggle to form a Union as their answer to achieving better earnings and working conditions. Harry Sharpstone, Union organizer, is dispatched by the Teamsters Union of Chicago to orchestrate this union organization. Conflict, coalitions and struggle result. Is resolve achieved? Typically, Management and Unions never achieve permanent resolve, just a temporary platform for a truce.

The coalitions are the Taxi Cab owners and Taxi Medallion owners who are frequently from Charlestown and the North End and are supported by the enforcement of local Mafia types associated with known racketeer Raymond Patriarca of Providence Mafia fame. Since the issuance of these valuable Taxi Medallions is controlled by Boston Chief of Police Bratton he may be lending favor to the owners. The other faction is the Taxi Cab Drivers. They are supported by the efforts of the Teamsters which is ruled by James Hoffa, State Senate President Billy Bulger, who is known to favor the struggle of the blue collar worker, and Billys brother, Whitey Bulger, the suspected leader of the Winter Hill Gang and rackets in South Boston. When these two factions clash over the power struggle between the Taxi Cab Medallion owners and the Taxi Cab Drivers the situation ranges from intense to combustible.

Local political and social culture creates a distinct Boston flavor as the story twists, turns and unfolds Relax and enjoy for as long you can. You may find yourself sliding to the edge of your seat not sure of how you got there.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Dec 30, 2010
• ISBN: 9781456712747

David C. Martin

David C. Martin is the Emmy-winning national security correspondent for CBS News, a position he has held since 1993. He has been covering national defense and intelligence matters since 1974 and is also the author of Best Laid Plans: The Inside Story of America’s War Against Terrorism. Martin and his wife, Dr. Elinor Martin, live in Chevy Chase, Maryland. They have four children.

Book preview

A Special Thanks

Shawn Glen Pierson Your Critical and structural input on this project was quite helpful and inspiring. Thank you for your help and your friendship.

-David C. Martin-

Contents

A Special Thanks

I

II

III

IV

V

VI

VII

VIII

IX

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XI

XII

XIII

XIV

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XVI

XVII

Bibliography

ENDNOTES

I

It is 7:00 A.M

It’s a cold, drizzly, overcast Saturday in Boston. Barry Blumberg lives in a top floor apartment on High Street, in a triple-decker, in Charlestown. From the rear porch you can see the Tobin Bridge and the city of Cambridge. Barry has been a Boston cabbie for thirteen years. Today will not be his lucky day.

His girlfriend Karen Silkstocking has been with Barry for three years now. She is an attractive tall sultry redhead with straight shiny hair that extends below her shoulder blades. While she is devoted to Barry she is content as his girlfriend.

Today is Saint Patrick’s Day. It is a holiday of the highest degree in Boston. Karen is up early bubbling away in the Jacuzzi. She is looking forward to the Saint Patrick’s Day parade and the daylong celebration of corned beef, cabbage, alcohol consumption and good cheer that is the tradition for Saint Patrick’s Day. Unfortunately, she never does get to the celebration. Barry is always working on Saint Patrick’s Day. There are always plenty of fares and the tips are good on this high spirited day. This year is supposed to be different. This year Barry promised that they would spend the day together and join in all of the day’s festivities.

Barry is still in bed. He had a difficult Friday night shift that ended at 12:00 midnight. On the way home he stopped at the Morning Glory Bar for a pre-Saint Patrick’s Day warm-up of boilermakers. At 2:00 A.M., Mack the bartender yelled, bottoms up boys I’m going home.

Barry obliged with a last shot of Jameson Irish Whisky and then found his way home to sleep it off.

Suddenly, his cell phone on the nightstand starts to ring. Groggily, Barry answers the phone. Hello mutters Barry.

Where the hell are you? the loud voice on the other side inquires. I am landing in Cambridge in five minutes. The loud voice continues, I expect my ride to be there, waiting for me.

Barry has not told Karen that he recently agreed to provide chauffer services for a union official today. The official is Harry Sharpstone. Harry is an organizer for the teamsters. He is coming to town to do some background work. His new assignment is not going to be easy. He has been sent from Chicago to organize the cabdrivers of Boston into a local chapter of the teamsters. Harry is a gruff Vietnam Vet. His remaining thin wavy grey hair is unkempt. He is fit, in his late fifties, and dressed in a dark wrinkled three-piece suit. The tie has been removed and is in his pocket.

Barry has sprung from his bed. Hung over, he hurriedly gets dressed in his chauffer’s outfit that had been cast in a pile on the bedroom floor. He runs to the bathroom, quickly brushes his teeth and kisses Karen on the forehead and says, I love you.

Karen has her eyes closed while she continues to bubble away. She smiles as she is kissed. Then she quickly sits up and remarks, Hey, where are you going?

Barry, while headed out of the bathroom and toward the apartment door responds. Sorry babe. I promised to cover an important chauffer assignment today. I’m late. I’ll call you from the car.

But you promised to spend the day with me.

Barry does not respond. He hurries through the door, soars down the stairs and out the front door. Quickly, he unlocks the door of the black corporate style limousine parked on the street out front. He puts the key in the ignition, turns the key and…

BOOM! The limousine blows sky high into smithereens. There is nothing left but twisted metal and a fireball of remains.

Karen quickly jumps out of the tub and runs to the front living room window only to see the fireball below where Barry’s limousine was parked. Horrified, she screams, Barry! Barry!

She knows he is gone.

She lets out a horrifying scream of grief and agony from the impact of knowing that her loved one’s remains are burning in the fireball below.

II

Across the Charles River

In Cambridge, Harry Sharpstone deports from his helicopter and heads into the Yellow Cab Company office. He is impatiently awaiting the arrival of his ride.

Harry had been attending a Union Banquet meeting on Friday night in Springfield, Massachusetts, so the helicopter was the best mode for making the early morning breakfast meeting here in Boston.

Harry was a tough, impatient Sergeant in Vietnam. As a labor organizer these traits have been helpful. I’ve been waiting fifteen minutes, Harry muttered. Who’s Melio? Harry asks in a sharp voice.

That would be me, Melio responds.

Hi Melio, I am Harry Sharpstone. Has my ride arrived yet? I’m on a tight schedule.

Oh, hello Mr. Sharpstone. It’s nice to finally meet you in person.

Melio Rocco is the cab dispatcher, part-time cab driver and an organizer who requested that the teamsters pursue unionizing the cab drivers.

Barry’s not here yet, Melio replies. I am very sorry Mr. Sharpstone. I’ll dispatch one of these cabs for you for the day right away. It’s important for you to stay on schedule.

Several minutes later Melio reports, Sorry Mr. Sharpstone, since it is Saint Patricks Day all scheduled drivers are quite busy and those who are not scheduled are not willing to give up this day off. So I’m going to take you myself. I am your driver for the day.

Thank you, Melio, let’s get going.

Harry and Melio make their way across town to the Bayside Club in South Boston. This is no ordinary breakfast meeting. This is the annual Saint Patrick’s Day breakfast, heavily attended every year by a who’s who of Boston’s most powerful politicians.

Oh sure, Saint Patricks’s Day is a big event in every major city, but in Boston it is particularly special. You see, in Boston Saint Patrick’s is also a legal holiday! That’s right, March 17th also happens to be Evacuation Day, the day the British fled Boston in defeat of the Revolutionary War. So today all public offices are closed and all the pubs are open.

Saint Patrick’s Day means so much to the State Senate President Billy Bulger that he was determined to find a way to make it a public holiday. Senator Bulger is also a historian. So he scoured Boston history for an event that occurred on March 17th, and the evacuation of the British troops from Boston was just the perfect event to justify a government holiday celebration. And what sane politician would vote against making Saint Patrick’s a holiday worthy of a day off and a public celebration?

The day’s opening event, a breakfast and roast held at the Bayside Club, is hosted by none other than South Boston’s own pinnacle of the political scene, State Senate President Billy Bulger. As president of the Senate, he controls just what bills will be allowed to the floor for a vote. Even the Governor, Bill Weld, pays deference to the powerful Senator in order for his legislation to be brought to the floor.

Senator Bulger has a sharp mental recollection of all favors extended to various politicians and when the time is right to collect on a favor you can be sure that the payback will play strongly into the Senator’s favor. As a result, the State payroll reads like a list of Senator Bulger’s family, friends, neighbors and supporters.

But today isn’t a day for political hardball. Today is time for camaraderie and good cheer. Today is a day for laughter, self-deprivation, stand-up comedy and a good-natured political roast. For Harry Sharpstone, this event is very important business. Today Harry gets to meet some of the political players who will be involved in both sides of the issue of the cabbie unionization process that is yet to begin.

Harry will study personalities, political associations, traits and just what makes each politician tick. Does he have an Achilles’ heal? Who are friends and who are foes? Who can he trade favors with? What kind of favors will work to gain their support for his effort to unionize the cabdrivers? Ah yes, this is a busy morning for Harry, and a valuable opportunity.

As Harry enters the Bayside Club, an aide to Senator Bulger meets him. Mr. Sharpstone? The aide inquires.

Yes, Harry responds.

I am Clarence McDuff. Let me take you to meet Senator Bulger. He takes Harry to the side of the Head table and Senator Bulger comes over to meet him. Senator Bulger, this is Mr. Sharpstone from the Teamsters Union, Chicago.

Nice to meet you, Mr. Sharpstone, says Senator Bulger. I apologize for not having any time to meet with you today. As I mentioned, I am the Master of Ceremonies here this morning.

That is quite all right, Senator Bulger, Harry replies. I appreciate the opportunity to attend this renowned event and I am sure this will be a valuable experience. I’ll call your office on Monday to schedule a meeting with you.

Wonderful, we’ll talk again soon.

Clarence, kindly show Mr. Sharpstone to his table.

Senator Bulger proceeds to the microphone to begin the breakfast. Attention friends and comical foes. Let’s begin the meal and festivities with grace and a blessing led by Father O’Hearn. "Thank you Senator Bulger. Please bow