Friday, May 27, 2011

Feds OK union display of giant rats

WASHINGTON – Federal regulators say union activists have the legal right to display giant inflatable rats outside companies during labor disputes.

The National Labor Relations Board says putting up a 16-foot-tall rat balloon is allowed even if the business is not directly involved in the conflict between the union and another employer.

The Carpenters union and other labor groups often use the giant rat as a form of street theater. The goal is to shame companies that hire outside contractors who refuse to use union workers or pay union-scale wages.

The case was closely watched by business groups who claim the giant rat is too coercive and confrontational. But the labor board says the rats are a form of symbolic speech that don't interfere with business activity.

Posted by John Musumeci at 4:20 AM

5 comments:

  1. AnonymousMay 27, 2011 at 12:30 PM

    Now we know why the rats disappeared from our pickets. Another potential lawsuit that the members were being kept in the dark. Thank god the labor broard backed us up

    ReplyDelete
  2. Richard DorroughMay 27, 2011 at 2:03 PM

    The sad part is that the mindless idiots took this issue this far over a rubber blow up rat. First of all the UBC are the king of low,life scum bag rats so what hypocrites to call others rats.

    Second what a joke we are to all others who see the rat on our pickets. Most people whether they support Unions or not think we are assholes and low IQ douche bags for using a rat.The only ones aren't laughing at us are the dumb ass that brought the rat

    What type of mentality does it take to realize you dont entice others to join the Union by calling them rats or scabs. Do you even know what a scab is. What a great concept.Your a scab,rat and scum bag come Join the Union.If you call me a rat I am not only not going to join the Union but I am very forcibly going to tell you to go fuck yourself. Grow the f... up.
    The UBC should get a blow up construction worker being fucked in the ass by a UBC Officer with a sign that says "Join the UBC so we can fuck you too" I wonder if the UBC would fight for that at the NLRB

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousMay 27, 2011 at 6:29 PM

    The "Rat" represents the contractor and/or the client that pays said contractor. Why so? Because they are promoters of slave labor plain and simple. They do so in the most dispicable, sly, sleazy ways. The Rat does not stand for the workers themselves. They are our non-union brothers who are being victimized by these RAT CONTRACTORS. Most people actually like the "Rat" and are often seen taking pictures with it. I here tell its actually effective in bringing those that would take advantage of workers to shame.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Richard DorroughMay 27, 2011 at 8:34 PM

    You say:They are our non-union brothers who are being victimized by these RAT CONTRACTORS.

    I ask: Then why do the Union picketers call them scabs and scream other obscenity at them for trying to feed their family's? The enemy is the contractor who refuses to pay a fair wage and benefits but the Union targets the workers.

    I ask: At this time in our Unions history.WHO is being victimized the the worst. The non Union worker or the Union Carpenter at the hands of Douglas McCarron and the UBC. Do you resent the non Union worker because he or she will not join an organization that is rift with corruption and makes the non Union contractors look like boy scouts in its abuse of its members.

    You Say:Most people actually like the "Rat" and are often seen taking pictures with it.

    I ask: As in the same mindset as taking pictures with Gooffy at Disney. Cute but what a f...ing joke.I am not sure what people you hang with but most of the people I have spoken to think the rat, and other mindless representations of the substandard IQ of our UBC leaders, make us look like a joke and childish fools.How can you discuss real labor issues or have any degree of credibility standing next to a blow up rubber rat.

    You say:They do so in the most despicable, sly, sleazy ways.

    I ask: Do you think they learned these things at the UBC training center on the strip IN LAS VEGAS. Now there is another monument to our Unions credibility. Once I asked a UBC officer how the UBC could possibly answer our critics who accuse of of being fat cat, lazy,and over paid Union workers by building a training center in Vegas. When he could not make any excuses for such an idiotic move by the UBC he declared "the Training Center was built in Vegas because airfare to Vegas is cheaper. Yes. I am sure this is the same UBC Officer who has his lips wrapped around the Rats ass blowing it up.

    You Say:I here tell its actually effective in bringing those that would take advantage of workers to shame.

    I Ask: Can you produce any documentation to prove it other than propaganda BS produced by the UBC. Who did you "Hear Tell"it from??

    I gotta tell you it sure would make me throw myself at the feet of the Reverend Doug McPussy and beg his for forgiveness in shame. That is of course right after I pissed on his shoes and called him a mindless ignorant prick.We judge the strength of our enemy's by their actions. Someone who brings a blow up rubber rat to a labor fight cannot be taken seriously and projects weakness and above all childish ignorance.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Richard DorroughMay 27, 2011 at 8:59 PM

    By the way the next time you are on a line trying to take jobs from someone else or force them to join your Union"For their Own Good"by screaming at them and calling them scabs and rats remember what a scab is:
    (1) : a union member who refuses to strike or returns to work before a strike has ended (2): a worker who accepts employment or replaces a union worker during a strike

    And you wonder why the UBC wants you to remain uneducated and works so hard to block your access to anything to will give you knowledge and empower you.

    I asked our Union reps at a meeting a few months back that "if" they were on picket and there were twenty Carpenters inside the site listening to their message. And "if" suddenly the 20 carpenters dropped their tools and refused to be abused any longer by their employer and came outside declaring "we have heard you message and want to join your Union" I asked "If " he would sign them up. Without hesitation he said "NO". His reply was he did not want the workers he wanted the contractor.
    So the fact is this is not about protecting our brother and sister workers. This is not about seeing they get a fair wage and benefits. They could give a rats ass about the workers. It is about power and extortion. The Union wants the jobs for itself. It wants a contractor to pay homage and collection money. It is about little boys who like to play with rubber rats and collect extortion payments every month while pretending to care about workers wages and rights.Because the UBC has made it abundantly clear what it thinks of your rights. The UBC has made it abundantly clear what it thinks of your paycheck or if you even have benefits. The UBC has made it abundantly clear it is with no remorse that they will steal the food from your children's s tables and money from your pocket by force if necessary.

    All this and the NLRB is working on defending rubber rats and there are those in labor who see this as a priority. God help us all and our future

    ReplyDelete

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