Shadow Empire

Chapter 798: The Workers' Party and Arrival in New Bern
Lance would not agree with what these people in the Labor Union were thinking, but he did not need to strongly oppose it. He just needed to make them give up.

Today, the labor federation is still a powerful political force that cannot be ignored.

They are really too strong. Just as Mr. Wood said, they have 20 million working-class people behind them!

They are indestructible!

For politicians, they have at least millions of votes in their hands, and no one will offend these votes or those who can control these votes.

For the capitalists, the labor union can decide whether to strike, how big the strike should be, and what areas it covers, which is equivalent to holding the capitalists' necks.

But they missed one point.

Lance is neither a politician nor a capitalist, they can't do anything to him!

If Mr. Wood and Mr. Gebrus can convince the Federation of Labor and the industry unions to arm the workers and fight Lance.

Then even if Lance didn't take action, Congress would laugh wildly and send troops to destroy them all -

Not referring to the workers, but to the labor unions behind them.

Even if the war were to be paused, it would all be worth it.

They could not threaten Lance, but it was Lance who grasped the throat of their fate. It was obviously meaningless for Mr. Wood to deal with Lance in the same way he dealt with politicians and capitalists.

And Lance could also see that these people in the Labor Federation were too arrogant. They were so arrogant that they didn't seem like people who represented the power of the working class at all.

They are actually politicians too, who created a path for themselves to rise up the ladder and then became the people they once disliked the most.

Mr. Gebrus saw that Lance's attitude was very firm, so he had to speak, otherwise there was a high probability that they would return empty-handed today.

"Mr. Lance, I noticed that the Lance White rating method we are using is your idea, right?"

He was good at finding topics to talk about. After all, he was the vice president of the state. As soon as he opened his mouth, he found a topic that could ease the atmosphere and praise Lance.

The Lance White rating method has spread across the board and even has a tendency to spread to neighboring countries and regions.

This thing is so easy to use that you don’t even have to think about it and can easily identify a worker’s work ability.

Very useful, and versatile.

He said this while also paying attention to Lance.

Lance couldn't help laughing twice, "Yes, it's a very simple idea."

"In the education system, if people want to know how educated we are, they give us questions."

"So I thought, why not use a technical level as a grading standard, and then this rating system came into being."

Mr. Gebrus was also laughing. He nodded in agreement. "Although the idea is simple, you are the only one who thought of it and proposed it over the years. This shows that you are different from others."

"Mr. Lance, you have a good influence in the AFL. This is a foundation and an advantage."

"I'm not saying the Federation of Labor is necessarily better than anything else, but you've got an advantage here with us, so why not use it?"

"We can go further and do better. We have never been enemies, Mr. Lance."

"On the contrary, we can be very good partners!"

Lance nodded without comment, then he looked at Mr. Gebrus with a smile, "I know a very mercenary capitalist, the clothes they wear are the same brand as yours."

"Do the workers know that your clothes cost at least seven or eight hundred yuan a set?"

This sentence didn't sound like anything special, but soon the expressions of Mr. Gebrus and Mr. Wood changed.

They heard Lance's sarcasm, which was that they were also "capitalists". If they thought more deeply, they would realize that what capitalists bought and sold were the commodities in their hands.

These people in the Labor Federation, what are they buying and selling?
It is precisely their cornerstone, 20 million workers!
The smile on Mr. Gebrus's face faded, and he frowned. "It seems that there is a deep misunderstanding between us."

Lance shook his head and said, "Rather than saying it's a misunderstanding, it's more like you don't know yourself or me well enough."

"This is not a begging attitude, Mr. Gebrus and Mr. Wood."

"You can go back first and think carefully about what you can find to convince me and impress me. Find the right attitude for yourself, and then come back here and we can talk."

"Instead of this... right from the start I feel like I have to listen to you."

"This is Jingang City, Likalai Province. Here, I can protect my own interests!"

He said as he lowered his crossed legs, "Well, I have work to do, you guys need to leave."

This is just kicking someone out, which is very rude.

But Mr. Gebrus and Mr. Wood had no choice but to put on a stern face, say a few polite words of farewell, and then stride out of Lance's office.

When the two walked out of Lance's company, Mr. Wood couldn't help but complain, "This guy has no manners at all, and he is too arrogant!"

“He has no idea what kind of power 20 million working brothers united together can bring!”

“We created the world!”

"Egg!"

Mr. Gebrus was a little calmer. He understood what Lance said. If he wanted Lance to do as they said, he had to meet some of his conditions, or come up with something that could impress him.

But what could move him?

Mr. Gebrus didn't know. He sighed, a failed negotiation. "Okay, let's go back and report the results of the negotiation."

Mr. Wood was sulking, with all sorts of thoughts running through his mind at the moment. He felt that he should teach Lance a lesson.

What is a gangster in front of 20 million working class people?
"How about we call the Immigration Bureau and tell them those factories are using illegal immigrants?" He took out his keys and walked towards a car worth seven or eight thousand dollars parked on the side of the road.

Mr. Gebrus thought for two or three seconds and shook his head. "In Jingang City, the Immigration Bureau will not care about Lance's affairs for you."

"This matter still needs to be discussed. I gradually feel that we may have really hit a rock."

Mr. Wood didn't say anything. He opened the car door, got in, and started the car.

After Mr. Gebrus got in the car, he stepped on the accelerator and the car quickly disappeared in the traffic.

Ms. Debbie, who seemed to have been forgotten by them, finally came out of the bathroom.

While cleaning the water droplets on her body, she knocked on the door of Lance's office. After hearing the "come in" sound from inside, she pushed the door open and walked in.

Then I saw the empty sofa and Lance sitting behind the desk.

She didn't know how to describe it.

Lance sitting on the sofa gave her a sense of stability, like... she couldn't describe it, but there was nothing much different anyway.

But at this moment Lance was sitting behind the desk, the sunlight outside the window shone through the glass window, and half of Lance's body was hidden in the shadows.

The tiny dust particles flying in the air were illuminated by the light.

At this moment, a strong aura naturally burst out from Lance's body, something that made people subconsciously hold their breath!
She was stunned for a moment, until Lance spoke, she came back to her senses.

"Mr. Gebrus and Mr. Wood have some matters to attend to and have left first," he motioned for Debbie to sit down.

Debbie originally wanted to leave, but Lance's invitation made her subconsciously obey. She walked to the opposite side of Lance's desk, pulled out a chair and sat down.

"Is the Labor Federation nervous?" Lance smiled and pursed his lips. "It's about the direct connection between the labor service company and the factory." Debbie took a deep breath. The huge invisible pressure made her so tired. If she didn't say anything, the pressure would be even greater.

She lives in Jingang City, and her family also lives in Jingang City.

An official of the Light Industry Textile Office of the Labor Federation is just one of her identities, not her entire identity!

In just seven or eight seconds, she nodded and said, "It was mainly the industry unions. Their reaction was very intense."

The Labor Federation itself is a national working-class organization formed with skilled workers from all industries as its backbone. They are not a trade union, but in the eyes of all workers' unions, the Labor Federation, which has greater influence, is their superior organization.

The industry union federation reported these matters to the Federation of Labor. The Federation of Labor, which has always been seeking to have a bigger voice, would not sit idly by and watch such a thing happen.

"I heard a rumor that is not very reliable. I don't know whether it is true or not."

Lance motioned for her to continue. She organized her words and said carefully, "I heard that the chairman of the Labor Federation is seeking to make further political progress..."

She took a deep breath and looked at Lance. "They plan to push the labor union members to run in the general election after the war. They want to elect the first president of working class origin since the founding of the Federation!"

Hearing this Lance understood a little bit of their urgency in destroying their foundation.

Now is the weakest stage of the Socialist Party after it split from the Liberal Party. Not to mention the Liberal Party, even the Federal Party has started to operate.

So it is not surprising at all that the Federation of Labor, the largest non-governmental organization in the federation with 20 million working-class brothers, is thinking of running for election!
With money, votes, and strong backing, perhaps they really have a good chance of winning!
Lance scratched his head. "Neither good nor bad news, but thank you for telling me this."

"No matter what the Labor Federation does, you are you and they are them, and you will always be my friend."

Lance opened the drawer, took out a small piece of paper and handed it over. "This is a shopping voucher my family gave me on San Pedro's Day. I can't use it myself, and I see there is a time limit on it, so please see if you need it. It would be best if you can use it."

Ms. Debbie picked up the small card on the table. It said "One Thousand Yuan Shopping Voucher" and it also said on the back that if you spend more, you will not get a refund, but if you spend less, you will get more.

This was equivalent to her income for four or five months. She smiled and said, "Thank you so much. I just happened to have something I wanted."

She is very sensible, or perhaps living in Jingang City she knows very well who is the king here.

Lance nodded and was silent for a few seconds, "Let's do this for now!"

"If you have any further news, please call me anytime, anywhere."

He stood up, stretched out his hand and shook hands with Ms. Debbie, then watched her leave.

He did not sit back, but walked to the window and took out another cigarette. The mellow cigarette always makes people intoxicated. He looked at the quiet street outside the window and the young men who could be seen in groups of three or five on the surrounding streets.

He suddenly found it a little ridiculous. How did these people plan to show their strength?

Let his men go on strike?

Or do something else?
He shook his head, waited until he finished a cigarette before returning to his chair and dialing Tom's number.

He briefly recounted what had happened today and mentioned the "secrets" that Ms. Debbie had revealed to him.

After Tom listened carefully to what Lance said, he smiled and said, "Your information is not too... up to date with the development of things. They have already begun to consider the establishment of the 'Federal Workers' Party', and now they are just missing an opportunity."

Create a party, then put forward candidates, and then try to use their influence over 20 million workers, let alone a few million votes, to get the presidency in one go.

Even if it's only four years, it will be enough for everything in the Workers' Party to stabilize.

I have to say this is really a crazy era, with all kinds of ideas constantly colliding.

"Can they succeed?", Lance asked.

“I don’t know, but it should be difficult because Congress is always paying attention to them.”

"You know, if someone is paying attention to you, then there's a good chance that they don't want you to live a better life."

Lance couldn't help but laugh, "You're so funny!"

He paused, "Did you receive my gift?"

Tom's voice became more eager. "Got it. To be honest, I was shocked. Actually, you..."

"Okay, I won't talk about this anymore."

"I also gave the gift to the senator. The senator liked your little gift very much. It is now placed on the corner of the senator's desk."

A small pure gold pumpkin with a San Pedro's Day theme is a very meaningful souvenir, not anything else.

After talking about this for a while, Tom took the initiative to say, "I will tell the senator what you said. From my personal point of view, what you are doing is indeed meaningful. Keep it up."

"Although the senators and Congress won't actively support you, if they go to the Immigration Bureau, the Immigration Bureau won't pay any attention to them, you know what I mean!"

Lance nodded and said, "I know."

Since these illegal immigrants are called "illegal", they have definitely violated federal laws and regulations. No matter who they are, especially public figures, it is even less likely that they will publicly support such behavior and people.

So it is difficult for senators to support Lance, for example, to support him in organizing more illegal immigrants to compete with unions and labor federations for jobs.

If they did, it would be a terrible political disaster.

But they can prevent law enforcement agencies from enforcing the law that could cause harm to the illegal immigrants under Lance's command.

After all, as gentlemen, don't they have the final say on law enforcement, who enforces the law, whose law to enforce, and how to enforce the law?

Lance knew that this matter would not end and there would definitely be follow-up, but he did not take it too seriously.

After all, his field and the field of the Labor Union do not overlap at all!
There must be some capitalists in the Labor Union, and the news that Mr. Gebrus and Mr. Wood had suffered setbacks in Lens soon spread throughout Likalai Province.

Originally, not many people came into contact with the labor company, but after this incident spread, more people came to talk about it.

This also made more illegal immigrants realize that the only company that can truly provide them with stable jobs is Lans' labor company.

And as some of the labor company reform plans proposed by Lance began to leak out, more illegal immigrants and even local workers were asking how to register.

Trade unions do have advantages, such as the ability to organize large-scale demonstrations (which ordinary workers can hardly do without the motivation of interests to suffer), better legal aid, and some workers' unions also provide places for leisure and entertainment.

But there are also disadvantages. Not only do you have to pay money to the union, but sometimes you have to do something even though you don't want to do it.

Now, it seems that there is a replacement, and many people are asking for more detailed information.

The labor service company's business became busy, and it also brought a little bit of something to the entire federal labor market that people had not noticed before.

In the first two days of November, Erwin and his men arrived in New Birmingham.

After they arrived, they directly rented two villas to live in instead of staying in a hotel or something like that.

Alvin had no idea what the local gangs were doing, but they would definitely notice some unusual things that suddenly occurred in the hotel.

On the contrary, it is not easy for gangs to enter those villa areas. After all, capital is not friendly to gangs.

After renting the house, they changed into casual clothes and began to monitor the bootlegger.

They asked Clara's little cousin to call the bootlegger, saying that he had run out of wine and wanted to buy a few bottles.

During this time, Clara had already met her grandfather and had embarked on the journey back to Golden Harbor City, but before that she also introduced her cousin's family to Erwin.

Clara knew Erwin. After all, as the second-in-command of the Lance family, she had always heard of or seen Erwin more or less.

With her as the "middleman", the cousin's family easily accepted the matter. Clara, who was married to Jingang City in their family, seemed to have married an old gangster man...

(End of this chapter)