This, according to my research in the area, appears to be the structure of La Cosa Nostra.
The
Commission
The Commission handles interfamily disputes and sets general policy
for La Cosa Nostra. It acts as more of a forum of Family Bosses than
a board of directors. I have read conflicting reports as to the
number of bosses on the Commission. In addition, Angelo Lombardo
(former acting boss of the Cleveland Family) states that there are
two Commissions: the Eastern Commission is based in New York and
addresses concerns of the eastern Families, and the Western
Commission is based in Chicago and handles concerns of the western
Families, such as Kansas City, Denver, Detroit, Los Angeles, San
Diego (actually San Jose), St.Louis, Milwaukee, and San Francisco.
Apparently, not every Family has a seat on the Commission. For
instance, Mr.Lombardo states that the Cleveland, Buffalo, and
Pittsburgh Families are all represented by the Genovese Family on the
Eastern Commission.
The Families
Boss
Also called Don, he is the man with all of the power in the
Family. he gives the orders, and the rest of the Family is expected
to follow them without question.
Underboss (Sotto
Capo)
He is the second-in-command. He is usually the word on the
street, so to speak. He controls the day-to-day operations of the
Family.
Consigliere
The consigliere acts as a "couselor" or "advisor" to the boss.
He is directly under the boss in terms of the hierarchy, but he
doesn't normally give orders.
Capo
Short for capodecina or caporegime, he is a leader of a
"crew" or decina (literally, "group of ten") of ten to fifteen
soldiers.
Soldier
These are the guys that do the dirty work. They are still "made"
guys. Also each soldier may have a few associates hanging out with
him.
Associates
These guys do the real dirty work. Associates are not "made" guys,
they just hang around with the crew. They often are willing to do
anything to get "made", and therefore handle a lot of hits.