Scopo was the former vice president of Local 6A of the Cement and Concrete Workers in New York City and his brother was the president. He and his brother were also officers of the District Council of Cement and Concrete Workers. Both unions were described by the government as "tools of organized crime”. In 1987 Scopo and his brother Ralph Scopo Jr were forced to give up their positions after the major racketeering trials involving the Colombo family and the Mafia's ruling commission. Both brothers were barred permanently from the unions.