As full construction on the 145-mile project in Somerset, Franklin and Androscoggin counties gets underway, including the undeveloped northern 53 miles that were under the injunction, the Maine AFL-CIO also endorsed the project.
The 12-foot rat loomed over the entrance to the RV trade show in Elkhart, Indiana, the “RV capital of the world.” It stood 12 feet high, its beady red eyes and snarling fangs alerting attendees that at least one company wasn’t playing nice with union organizers. Depending on who you asked, the gigantic inflatable rodent was either a menace or a rallying cry. But to its owners members of the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 150 it was merely Scabby, a beloved symbol of the labor movement.
Since the late ‘80s, unions have been using Scabby to shame business owners who won’t negotiate a fair contract with workers. “From the very beginning, you could be picketing in front of a business, have workers out there in tents in the winter, and a barrel full of wood, and a fire to keep warm. You wouldn’t get as much attention from the owners as you did when you had Scabby, because it’s an attack on their brand,” says Jim Sweeney, president of IUOE Lo
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The saga of Scabby the Rat continues with the
transition of the Biden administration and the recent unceremonious
ouster of now-former General Counsel Robb. The debate focuses on
whether the presence of Scabby, the large inflatable rat, and large
banners at the site of a neutral secondary employer constitute
lawful secondary protest activity or is unlawful picketing or
coercive conduct.
In
International Union of Operating Engineers, Local
Union 150 (
Lippert Components, Inc.), the union
erected a large, inflatable rat and two stationary banners at the
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