Paige Ablon at Washington Square News (New York University’s Independent Student Newspaper) has an interesting Labor News Story that begins: If you’ve walked on Prince Street or strolled down Fifth Avenue recently, you may have come across a giant inflatable rat. With bloodshot red eyes, claws stretched outwards and scars covering its underbelly, the rat’s larger-than-life presence is undeniable. Meet Scabby - a 10-foot-tall inflatable rodent who has served as an icon for Unions and Worker’s Rights for nearly four decades. Scabby’s name comes from the label “scab,” a derogatory term used in the early 1800s to describe strikebreakers who refused to join picket lines. Jim Sweeney, the President of the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150 in Chicago, created Scabby as an attempt to shame businesses that wouldn’t hire Union Workers, which he called “rat contractors.” Others say that Ken Lambert, who worked for the Chicago District Council in the early ’90s, designed the first Scabby. Today, Scabby inflatables are a tool of protest used by Unions and other Labor Groups across the country. Since its creation, Scabby has been a target of Anti-Union vandalism, suffering injuries such as stabbings and hit-and-runs. The physical destruction of these inflatable rats is in turn representative of the difficulties Union Workers have faced for centuries. Earlier this year, two Scabbys were placed in front of Arc’teryx, an outerwear clothing brand in protest of the company’s employment of Non-Union contractors. Similarly, a Scabby covered in “Shame on Miu Miu!!” posters was seen on Prince Street outside the entrance of Luxury Fashion Store Miu Miu - a stark contrast from SoHo’s chic atmosphere. A Union organizing effort has been stationed outside 100 Prince Street for nearly a month. The Union claims that Miu Miu has allowed Folor Incorporated to “exploit Construction Workers” by hiring Non-Union labor to build its storefront. Though Scabby remains a highly contested symbol of protest, it continues to embody not only the rights of Union Workers, but also a wide range of grassroots causes.

To Read This Labor News Story In Its Entirety, Go To: Why are there huge inflatable rats in NYC? - Washington Square News

Photo Courtesy Of Scabby The Rat's Facebook Page.