“Give Ted Andreason a call. I use him for skip-tracing. He’s good and he’s discreet.”
Kane wrote down the number. “Thanks, Bert.”
Ted Andreason returned his call within an hour. Kane gave him the few facts that he had.
Three hours later the investigator called again with a report on Peter Masterson.
“Here’s what I’ve got on Peter Randolph Masterson. When he left Old Brooking in 1974 he headed for Los Angeles. He married Joan Farley in 1976 and divorced her two years later. Then he disappeared for twenty years and reemerged in Las Vegas in 1998 as the owner of a small restaurant. I have his business and home phone numbers. I can dig more into the “lost” years if you can give me more time. He’s an open book, one of the easiest traces I’ve ever had.”
“No, Ted,” Kane replied, “That won’t be necessary. You did great. Thank you.”
The phone rang several times before he answered, “Peter Masterson. Who is this?”
“Kane Masterson, Evelyn Littleton’s son.”
At first it was quiet at the other end then, “Well, I’ll be damned. Why are you calling me? Has something happened to Evelyn?”
“No, it’s nothing like that. I’m calling because my mother recently told me that you were not my real father and that I got your name by accident. I’m trying to locate my real father and I thought maybe you could help. My mother refuses to tell me who it is, but I believe that I have a right to know.”
“Your mother is a very stubborn woman. I think I know why she won’t tell you and I’m not sure I should either.”
“Then, you’re admitting that you know who it is.”
“Of course, I know. That’s why I left town. I wasn’t going to be made a fool of. She was not only having an affair, but she got pregnant on top of it. Tell me something about yourself. What have you done with your life?”
Masterson was obviously stalling for time, but Kane decided to go along with it for now.“Well, I was CEO of my own textile business until recently. I’m planning to get married soon and move away from Connecticut, but before I do that I want to clear up any loose ends in my life. This thing about my real father is one of them.”
“That makes sense. Sounds like your mother did a good job raising you. You seem to have both feet solidly on the ground. Tell me, how is your mother doing these days? I always admired the woman, but I just couldn’t forgive her infidelity. So I left and never looked back.”
“Mother is definitely her own person. She married two more times after you, searching for some idyllic person to make her happy.” Kane was getting anxious. He sensed that Peter Masterson wanted to level with him, but it was like pulling teeth to get him to divulge the name. Finally in desperation he said, “Look, Peter, this is my life we‘re talking about. Please, man to man, help me out here.”
The reluctance in Peter’s voice was evident.”Okay, but you have got to forget where you heard it. Your father is Adam Hampton II. Somehow he cast a spell over your mother and you’re the outcome. It’s a credit to her that she was strong enough to walk away completely from that family. That mix up with my name at the hospital made everything easy all the way around. I never protested, because, to tell you the truth, I couldn’t have kids. Knowing you were carrying my name somehow made me feel more manly. Now that I’ve spoken with you, I’m glad I kept quiet about it.”
It was fortunate for Kane that Masterson rambled on, because he was at a loss for words. Oh my god! Adam Hampton II is my biological father? I would never have thought that was possible. That means that Adam Hampton III is my half-brother.
“Are you certain of that? Could there be a mistake?”
“Very certain. I never saw them together, but people that I trust, did. Not just once but many times. I found this out afterwards. I also found out he picked up her hospital bills. When I confronted her she made it very clear that it was Adam Hampton II that got her pregnant.” She made me promise to keep everything a secret. I agreed. At that point I didn’t really care. I knew I had to get away from her as quickly as I could.”
“You must have been devastated.”
“I was, Kane and I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you, but under the circumstances I wouldn’t have been much of a father.” He ended the conversation by switching the subject. “Look, if you’re ever traveling out this way I would like to meet you. You seem to be a very remarkable man. I’m proud that you bear my name.”
“I appreciate your saying that, Peter. After hearing what you just told me I’m equally proud to carry your name. I understand now, why my mother wouldn’t tell me his name. Thanks for leveling with me.”
“Glad to help. Good Luck!”
Kane sat back in utter dismay. Thoughts began to fire off in his head. How ironic it is that my arch-enemies turn out to be my father and my half-brother? This adds a very personal note to my plans. I have nothing but contempt for them both. They think they stole my business from me. Well we’ll just see about that. I’m going to get it all back and then some or my name isn’t Kane Masterson.
Chapter 24
Daniel dialed the offices of Local 33. The call went to the machine. “Gil, this is Daniel. When you get this, call me. It’s been two weeks now. I’ve tried to get a sit-down with you, but your secretary keeps making excuses. You’re not acting in good faith.” He stopped speaking for a few seconds, then continued. “If you won’t sit down with me I’ll have to go to SEWU. I don’t want to do that, but you’re leaving me little choice. Am I making myself clear?”
At the other end of the call, Gil was laughing as he listened to the message. He was tempted to pick up the phone and tell Daniel that he already had the full support of SEWU, but decided to let him stew for awhile. He looked at the check on his desk. It was for twenty-five thousand dollars made out to the Local 33 Welfare Fund, signed by Adam Hampton III. All that was asked for in return was an additional two to three weeks of the strike. Gil’s union members didn’t mind as long as they received weekly support payments from the union and the promised retroactive increases from the new contract. A few of them even went on a two week cruise and were in no hurry to return to work. Gil had no concerns about his parent union. As long as Local 33 didn’t request strike funds from them, SEWU didn’t care how long it took to settle the strike. The overture that Adam made regarding the smooth transition of Preston workers into Hampton’s UNITE unions was already showing promise. It would provide UNITE with financial capital and SEWU with future political capital. To a union local the size of Gils, a “marker” of this type has immense value.
It was a win-win for all parties with the exception of Daniel McKnight.
Lauren found Daniel at his desk with a stack of files strewn in front of him. She couldn’t tell from the expression on his face whether or not it was a good time to approach him. During the past week she often found him to be ill-tempered, especially regarding the subject of the strike.
Daniel owned two stadiums and three teams. The Old Brooking Indians and Old Brooking Wildcats played their home games in McKnight Stadium, an outdoor stadium. The Old Brooking Blizzards played on the ice at McKnight Arena, an indoor arena. When Daniel purchased the franchises for the three teams, he was contractually obligated to assume the union contracts for the two stadiums. His twelve person office staff remained non-union.
Cautiously, she asked, “So what’s happening?”
He snapped out of his funk, “Actually something good has come out of this mess with Local 33. I spoke with the Owner’s Associations at the Football and Hockey Leagues about the lack of cooperation I’m getting from SEWU. They were both very sympathetic. They asked if I would consider a schedule change for the Wildcats and the Blizzards to play their next two games at the opponent’s stadiums. I thought that that was a great idea. They just called back to tell me that it was all set up with the other teams, including sharing concession revenues. That last part really threw me for a loop. Do you realize that that means that we do not have any games sch
eduled at our stadiums for the next four weeks. How do you think Gil Parsons will like that? It sure weakens his position.”
“That’s really good news. Speaking of Gil Parsons, do you know any more about why he’s refusing to bargain with you? It’s such a turnabout from his usual behavior.”
“Not a thing. He keeps trying to put the onus on me because I left town for a few days when we got married. I still have an uneasy feeling about his stubbornness. There’s a lot more to this than meets the eye. My gut tells me that Adam Hampton is mixed up in this somehow. I wish I knew for sure what was behind his reluctance to bargain in full faith.”
“What reasons could Adam possibly have to make trouble for you?”
“Are you serious? Hell, you were married to the man. You know what he’s like. That man doesn’t need much incentive to make trouble for someone. It could be something as simple as you and I getting married, or maybe he’s still brooding over that tape. Who knows with him? Actually, I really don’t care. I’ve got something more important to discuss with you.” Daniel looked pensive as he gestured for Lauren to sit down next to him.
“Since all this started, we haven’t had much chance to discuss our future plans, but I’ve been giving a lot of thought to selling the teams and moving away from Old Brooking for good. When I was speaking to the Owner’s Associations I asked if there were any investors inquiring about purchasing franchises. Apparently, even though the economy is in the trash heap, there is still money out there looking for a good home.
They know of three investors interested in buying sports teams on the condition that the teams would move to New Haven, Bristol or other medium-to-large cities within the league’s province; someplace where the fan base would be better and where unions would not be a problem. The Association looks favorably on this, so why not?”
Lauren pondered Daniel’s words for a few minutes before she spoke, “I don’t want you to give up the teams. They’re like children to you. They’re your life blood.”
“I know what you’re saying, Lauren. The thought of giving them up really saddens me, but I don’t think we can go on like this.”
“Whatever you decide will be okay with me,. You know that. I just want to see you involved in something that you love doing, without this stress all the time.”
“I knew you would say that. Unfortunately the environment for entrepreneurs has changed over the last few years. Only some of this can be blamed on unions. Their membership numbers are dwindling due to companies moving their production overseas so while unions still target a few big employers like Wal-Mart, mostly they seem to be concentrating on small and medium sized businesses, like mine. I wouldn’t even be thinking about getting out if it wasn’t for the union. They came with the deal when I first bought the teams. I was too new to understand all the ramifications.”
“Since then we’ve had two negotiations and both times I’ve had to surrender more of my rights, just to get them back to work. Philosophically, I’m sympathetic to the basic tenets of collective bargaining and unions, but I’m also a realist when it comes to the practices of today’s union organizations. Once sweetheart contracts became a part of the collective bargaining process, there was no turning back. It’s just too easy to give in and pass the higher costs on to the consumer. This has finally caught up with them and now non-union companies, here and abroad, are eating their lunch.”
“I’ve never really thought about unions and I had no idea you felt so strongly.”
“Most people believe that the labor movement’s basic purpose is to benefit workers by assuring that they have proper working conditions, are paid a living wage proportionate to the output of their labor, are guaranteed employment during the contract period and are protected against unfair labor practice by their employers. That’s true for the most part, but I’ve also observed that unions don’t always protect the rights of their members. For instance, it’s very common for union funds to be used to sponsor lobbyists, support politicians and engage in other activities that aren’t relevant to their organizing objective. Sometimes these activities are contrary to the wishes of the rank and file. My main beef with them is that they protect less productive workers often at the expense of highly productive ones.
“Another issue I have is that collective bargaining is not just about money or working conditions. In addition to wages, health insurance, pension benefits, dues check-off, vacations and holidays are commonly brought to the bargaining table. Any of these can be repressive to a small business. In multiples, they can be devastating.”
Daniel reached over and took Lauren’s hand. “I just don’t want to run a business in that kind of environment any longer. If I knew when I bought the franchises, what I would be going through today, I would never have purchased them.”
“You know, what I don’t understand is why workers join a union if the company they work for provides most of the benefits you just mentioned?”
“That’s a good question. There are a good many companies today that are wondering exactly that. They operate for years thinking that they are doing good by their employees, when all of a sudden, out of the blue, they are blindsided by a union led by overzealous organizers who make grandiose promises to the employees to convince them to vote the union in. Often it just takes some layoffs to trigger interest in the rank and file.”
“Some companies attempt to bribe their workers into rejecting the union, by offering them new benefits, but it often backfires when the union uses it to point out that if it wasn’t for them, the company wouldn’t be implementing the changes in the first place. Also, once a union gets a foothold, it’s very difficult to de-certify them.”
“I thought that the rank and file vote for their leadership? Why wouldn’t they vote out the bad guys if they weren’t happy with the deal they’re getting or suspect that the union leaders were padding their own pockets with sweetheart deals?”
“Once union leadership takes power, they are in a strong position to hang on to their jobs. As in most positions of leadership subject to voters approval, the incumbent usually has the advantage of being able to make strategic moves to sabotage their competition. It’s not uncommon for unpopular union leaders to retain their leadership for decades. Challengers usually don’t stick around too long. It’s less prevalent today, but there was a time, not so long ago, when violence was used to eliminate any complainers. It’s a lot safer to knuckle under than resist. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not implying that that’s true of all unions or even that that’s what I’m dealing with at Local 33. Actually, when he’s away from the union office, Gil is a churchgoer, very active in community affairs and fun to just sit down and have a beer with on a Friday night, but when it comes to collective bargaining he puts his union’s agenda before all else.”
Lauren took a deep breath and waited a few minutes before she spoke again.
“I can tell by the way you’re talking that you are very close to making a decision, but even if you wanted to move the teams right now, how can you do it when you’re in the middle of negotiations? Aren’t there some rules against doing that?”
“This is a totally different issue. The union contract is tied to the operation of the stadiums, not the sports teams.”
“Then why are you thinking about selling the teams? Why not just move them into a non-union market and continue to operate them? If, as you say, there are investors out there willing to buy your Franchises, it would make just as much sense for you to move them for yourself and take advantage of a friendly growth market.”
“I haven’t thought that part through, yet, but that makes sense. I just found out an hour ago that the leagues were amenable to the teams moving. I can see where they are coming from. The fees paid to the Leagues are partially based on franchise revenue. If I move to New Haven or Bristol, where there is a greater fan base, they will get a nice bump in income. It would be great opportunity for all of us.”
Excitement returned to his voice. “Lauren, you know
, you’re absolutely right. Why should I sell out, when I can just change location? That’s exactly what we’ll do. How would you feel about relocating?”
“What time do the moving trucks get here?”
Daniel laughed. “I should have known that you wouldn’t have a problem leaving this town.”
“What would happen with the two stadiums, then?”
He grinned as he answered, “The new owners, most likely, would take the name ‘McKnight’ off the signs. I think that’s a given.”
“Don’t be a smartass. I’m serious, what would happen?”
“If I pulled the teams out and put the stadiums on the market, Gil would probably make a sweetheart deal with the new owners to assure that the stadiums weren’t empty for too long. That would make the stadiums even that much more attractive. Then the cycle will start all over again. In the long run the new owners and stadium employees will get screwed once again. It’s an unfortunate scenario, but until we make some major changes in this country, it is the way things will continue to happen.
“I’ve got another plan that I need to discuss with my CPA. I’ll let you know how that works out. In the meantime, you should start thinking seriously about packing.
“Daniel, you sure know how to sweet talk a girl.”
“At your service, ma’am.”
An hour later Daniel slammed the phone down and turned to Lauren.“That was the police. They vandalized the stadium and the arena last night.”
“Who did?”
“Who else? It had to be those union thugs.”
“What did they do?”
“They shorted out the power grid and ripped the scoreboard to pieces at the stadium. They disabled the Zamboni at the ice arena.
“That doesn’t sound like the work of any of your employees. They would be hurting themselves by doing that much damage. Even though we’re having differences at the moment, some of them are like family. I’m even thinking that Gil Parsons would have more to lose than to gain by involving Local 33 in something this destructive. It’s too much of a risk.”
Hampton Manor Page 13