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Inflatable rats, or union rats, are giant inflatables in the shape of cartoon
The first known inflatable rat was used by the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150 in
While the inflatable rat sometimes varies in appearance and size, it generally features large teeth and grotesque features, particularly a scabby belly, a reference to the nickname of "scab" that is given to
rats
Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents. Species of rats are found throughout the order Rodentia, but stereotypical rats are found in the genus ''Rattus''. Other rat genera include ''Neotoma'' (pack rats), '' Bandicota'' (bandicoot ...
, commonly used in the United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
by protesting or striking trade union
A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ...
s. They serve as a sign of opposition against employers or nonunion contractors, and are intended to call public attention to companies employing nonunion labor.
History
The first known inflatable rat was used by the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150 in Plainfield, Illinois
Plainfield is a village in Will and Kendall counties, Illinois, United States. The population was 44,762 at the 2020 census.
The village includes land in Will County's Plainfield and Wheatland townships, as well as Na-Au-Say and Oswego tow ...
in 1989, according to photos from the ''Local 150 Engineer'' in November 1989, where it also launched a "Name the Rat" contest. In January of 1990, it announced that "Scabby" was the winning submission, coming from Local 150 member Lou Mahieu. Other unions also began using inflatable rats in the 1990s to shame companies that employ nonunion labor.
Employers have filed lawsuits charging that the use of the giant inflatable rats constituted unlawful picketing
Picketing is a form of protest in which people (called pickets or picketers) congregate outside a place of work or location where an event is taking place. Often, this is done in an attempt to dissuade others from going in (" crossing the pick ...
, and some courts have agreed. In May 2011, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) held that union use of an inflatable monster rat is not considered an unlawful activity when directed at a secondary employer. In 2011 National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) in Sheet Metal Workers Local 15, 356 NLRB No. 162 (2011) ruled that the inflatable rat did not constitute a signal picket, but instead, constituted symbolic speech Symbolic speech is a legal term in United States law used to describe actions that purposefully and discernibly convey a particular message or statement to those viewing it. Symbolic speech is recognized as being protected under the First Amendment ...
which is not subject to secondary boycott
Secondary may refer to: Science and nature
* Secondary emission, of particles
** Secondary electrons, electrons generated as ionization products
* The secondary winding, or the electrical or electronic circuit connected to the secondary winding ...
rules. This holding allows the union not only to place the inflatable rats at neutral entrances, but also to place them at locations where the picketed company is absent. In 2017, NLRB general counsel Peter B. Robb filed court motions seeking to change the previous policy, arguing that the presence of the inflatable rat was "confrontational, threatening, and coercive". Robb's complaint was set aside by a 3-1 vote of the NLRB on July 21, 2021.
Appearance
While the inflatable rat sometimes varies in appearance and size, it generally features large teeth and grotesque features, particularly a scabby belly, a reference to the nickname of "scab" that is given to strikebreaker
A strikebreaker (sometimes called a scab, blackleg, or knobstick) is a person who works despite a strike. Strikebreakers are usually individuals who were not employed by the company before the trade union dispute but hired after or during the st ...
s and non-striking workers. Many unions have nicknamed the inflatable rat "Scabby the Rat," a name which originated from the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150, who pioneered the use of the rat in 1989 and whose member Lou Mahieu won the "Name the Rat" contest with his submission of "Scabby".
, the rats ranged from tall, but is the most popular height due to local law
A local ordinance is a law issued by a local government. such as a municipality, county, parish, prefecture, or the like.
China
In Hong Kong, all laws enacted by the territory's Legislative Council remain to be known as ''Ordinances'' () af ...
s limiting the height of inflatable objects on display.
United Kingdom
The inflatable rat appeared in the UK for the first time in 2012 and again at the 2013 Grangemouth Oil Refinery dispute.See also
*List of inflatable manufactured goods
This is a non-comprehensive list of inflatable manufactured goods, as no such list could ever completely contain all items that regularly change. An inflatable is an object that can typically be inflated with a gas, including air, hydrogen, heli ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Inflatable Rat Mice and rats in popular culture Rat Labor relations Protest tactics