pəˈdrōnā noun
( plural padrones -āz ; also padro·ni -nē)
Etymology: Italian, from Latin patronus — more at patron
1.
a. : patron , master
b. : boss , chief
racketeering and shakedowns by the local padrones of the waterfront — New Republic
c. : innkeeper , landlord
2. : one that secures employment often under contract for immigrant usually unskilled workers especially of Italian extraction and that also acts as banker and commissary for them with the overall purpose of profit by exploitation