What is mean by the term scab? Why are workers called scabs? If a union calls a strike asking for a fair wage increase, then the employer will have a hard time finding replacement workers who will work for a below-market salary. It was so vile and politically and emotionally charged that it caused shame and anger. It is expecting too much of poor men to stand by and see their work taken by others.". What does calling someone a scab mean? Union officials not only didnt discourage such behavior, they openly encouraged it. For example, if an employer wants to avoid paying higher wages for union labor, he can send his factory to another country where pay is lower and safety standards may not be the same as those in his country. Flag. In 1892, there was a series of famous strikes in the United States -- a general strike in New Orleans, a copper miners' strike in Idaho and a coal miners' strike in Tennessee -- but none became as famous as the Homestead Strike against Andrew Carnegie's steel empire in Pennsylvania [source: PBS]. By the 1500s, it had taken on a secondary meaning in England. Pretty tricky trying to get the jump on us, but were a lot smarter than you think. The courts have set a high bar for successful defamation suits against unions with regard to scab lists. What does it mean if a scab doesn't go away? "Strikes, Scabs And Tread Separations: Labor Strife And The Production Of Defective Bridgestone/Firestone Tires." Then, if that doesnt work, you guys can go out and beat them up.. Some of the many causes of chronic (ongoing) skin wounds can include trauma, burns, skin cancers, infection or underlying medical conditions such as diabetes. In one case, a union caller asked a scabs daughter, How would you like to have your home burned down? Another caller delivered this message: Your daughter has a cute ass. It was so vile and politically and emotionally charged that it caused shame and anger. Privacy Policy. "Replacement Players in the Major Leagues"http://www.theloveofsports.com/index.php/site/comments/scab_ball/, Schlach, Kathleen. In a strike, what does scab mean? scabies of domestic animals; a crust of hardened blood and serum over a wound; a contemptible person 2. Scab. Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scab. Its much easier to persuade reluctant workers to join, he argues, when the law tells them that if you dont think the systems earning its keep, then you dont have to pay. Yet the true test of a unions respect for individual worker rights is what happens if and when the union wins representation. If the Post cereal company went on strike, people would not die if they could not find their favorite cereal on the shelf. Brawny men would cruise up and down streets where known picket line-crossers lived, honking their horns, staring at family members, making violent gestures and yelling threats. For lots more information on scabs, strikes and unions, follow the links on the next page. In the annals of labor history, few characters are more reviled than the so-called scabthe worker who refuses to join a union, or worse, whether or not a member, crosses a picket line during a strike. Hospitals have the option to bargain in good faith, move and divert patients or line up scab workers. In response to more organized labor, companies started to recruit people who were willing to break the strike. You, my former brother, have now turned into the lowly yellow-tailed scab rat. Collective bargaining consists of negotiations between an employer and a group of employees, usually represented by a union. . This is also known as crossing the picket line and can result in their being shunned or assaulted. However, "scab" was an old-fashioned English insult. A strikebreaker (sometimes called a scab, blackleg, or knobstick) is a person who works despite an ongoing strike. A New York Times article from 1910 describes conditions during a plumbers' strike in Paris. When an agreement still hadn't been reached by the start of spring training in 1995, many teams fielded replacement players drawn from the minors and amateur athletes. Delivered to your inbox! Here's an excerpt from one of his many poetic diatribes against scabs: "After God had finished the rattlesnake, the toad and the vampire, he had some awful substance left with which he made a scab. Major League Baseball (MLB) players went on strike midseason in 1994 when they refused to accept a salary cap. Answer (1 of 7): Why are non-union workers called scabs? After this I will never come back to the UAW. And he added: What they do behind the scenes is harass non-members, those who choose not to belong. Online Etymology Dictionary. The term "scab" is a highly derogatory and "fighting word" most frequently used to refer to people who continue to work when trade unionists go on strike action. Despite the arguments against scab labor, some experts claim that scabs can also serve a positive purpose. 2. Last edited on May 17 2011. The turning point came with the federal air traffic controllers' strike [source: Kilborn]. See, youve got only yourself to rely on, we have each other and our families. The term "scab" was first used in the 13th century to mean a nasty, itchy skin disease or the crust that forms on a wound.By 1806, the word "scab" arrived at its current meaning -- a strikebreaker who willingly crosses the picket line [source: Lexicon of Labor, Online Etymology Dictionary]. There are enough labor laws in each state to protect the worker from being mistreated. Their view of voluntary unionism, he said, is an iron fist against anyone who dissents.. When a scab comes down the street, men turn their backs and Angels weep in Heaven, and the Devil shuts the gates of hell to keep him out. In the 1700s, this term was used for someone who refused to join a labor union, and by 1806, the word had reached its modern usage. Glenn Taubmann, a staff attorney with the Springfield, Va.-based National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, puts it this way: It comes as no surprise that unions in Right to Work states engage in all sorts of harassment and pressure tactics against independent-minded workers. Mary has a liberal arts degree from Goddard College and Your example sounds typical of those who reason in favor of profits and productivity for the benefit of large corporations who pay their board of directors and executive staff millions while their workers starve. Union activists would argue, however, that "scabs" prolong the crisis, undermine the sacrifices of strike action, and unfairly benefit from the sacrifices of those workers who "held the line . Nearly every major labor strike of the19th and early 20th century includes tales of injury, torture and even the death of scabs at the hands of striking workers. How it seems like you cant shake us? Often, names are compiled on a scab list. Over the years, unions have made effective use of the hatred of scabs, to maximize their bargaining advantage. If you work near one of these people please explain the importance of Solidarity and the power of collective bargaining., Apparently, this was more than a polite request. "How Labor Scabs Work" Trade unionists also use the epithet "scab" to refer to workers who are willing to accept terms that union workers have rejected and interfere with the strike action. By 1806, the word "scab" arrived at its current meaning -- a strikebreaker who willingly crosses the picket line [source: Lexicon of Labor, Online Etymology Dictionary ]. Why scab and not scar or stab, whatever. SCAB - What does SCAB stand for? Instead, the scabs were marched through Herrin and into the woods, where 20 of them were murdered and others seriously injured [source: Encyclopedia Britannica]. A rat is a non union worker. They say that scabs are necessary bargaining chips at the negotiation table to combat unfair union demands. However, I did get a good glimpse of your yellow tail though as you scurried into the plant. One potentially effective approach to protect dissenting workers from union bullying would be a wider application of the doctrine known as Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress, or the tort of outrage. Here, a claim of harassment must pass a four-part test: (1) the defendant acted intentionally or recklessly; (2) the defendants conduct was extreme and outrageous; (3) the defendants act was the cause of the distress; and (4) the plaintiff suffered severe emotional distress as a result of the defendants behavior. If half of the employees stay behind -- or are replaced by nonunion workers -- management can still keep the factory running and wait until the striking workers are desperate enough to accept its conditions. (On labor law, as in this case, federal law often preemptsthat is, takes the placeof state and local law. Scab labor has the potential to completely undermine the power of a labor union. Tuesday, March 1, 1994. In response to more organized labor, companies started to recruit people who were willing to break the strike. Scabs, also known as replacement workers, are legal in most parts of the world. A number of unidentified workers at the facility had stated the point of the campaign was pressure. Well, 99 percent of the time, the answer is no. Let's say that it was suddenly illegal to hire replacement workers -- legislation that's been proposed in U.S. and Canada for years. The decline in unions is equal to the decline of the U.S.A. At its highest the unions represented 34-40 percent of the workforce. Read more about them in the next section. Some employers view the right to hire scab labor as a way to maintain that balance. In an airline context, if there is a pilots' strike, some pilots who are union members may decide to . . Yet the court concluded: The content of the union newsletter is protected speech, and federal law preempts the plaintiffs state defamation claim.. We were bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, and waiting to give you our daily union greeting. On June 15, 1993, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 239-190 to amend the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) to prohibit employers from hiring permanent replacement workers in . A single scab could greatly weaken the cause of the union. 1 : a worker who refuses to join a labor union. Youre just too cowardly to make the right one. Etymology, Synonyms, Antonyms, Rhyming Words, Sentence Examples are also available. The issue thus can be restated as one of colliding rights. Yet it constitutes rational and expected union behaviorso commonplace, in fact, that the Jack London scab definition made its way into a 1974 U.S. Supreme Court opinion on libel, as an example of the usual attitude toward replacement workers: Jack Londons definition of a scab is a lusty and imaginative expression of the contempt felt by union members towards those who refuse to join. This article originally appeared in the May 2015 issue of Labor Watch and appears here with permission. Retaliation against suck workers could sometimes be brutal. Once this break is plugged, wound healing causes the clot to eventually becomes a hard protective crust on the surface known as a scab. Even independent-minded employees may decide against crossing a picket line if retaliation against them appears imminent, overwhelming, and lasting. Another argument for replacement workers is what's called the "market test theory" which is based on the principles of supply and demand [source: Ferrara]. Workers typically form a band in front of the company they work for to inform people that a strike is going on, and why. By the late 1700s, laborers adopted the insult to refer to workmen who wouldn't join a strike, a union, or take part in organized labor. Jack London, the early-20th Century fiction writer and journalist, is supposed to have said that. The intent is to inflict intense feelings of fear, shame, and self-loathing upon persons who choose to go to work at wages less than those demanded by a union, to tell dissenting individuals that they must join the union-driven majority or face frightful consequences. If I see them on the street, I will counsel them on the street. It would be a shame if something happened to her., Automobile surveillance was a part of the scab treatment. . On the night of July 5, 1892, barges carrying hundreds of armed Pinkerton detectives floated up the river toward the Homestead plant. We believe every Just my thoughts. Learn about a little known plugin that tells you if you're getting the best price on Amazon. Click to see full answer . It can also be argued that the existence of scab labor may actually be a protection for union workers. The maritime strike broke under the weight of the scab labor, and the shearers' strike escalated to armed confrontations and dragged on for years before finally failing as well. National Bureau of Economic Research. I can't find anything here that explains where the term came from. When you have a family to provide for you can't always think about the greater good. Public opinion turned against the union when two striking miners dropped a 45-pound (20.4-kilogram) cement block onto the car of a scab, killing the driver [source: BBC]. With production at a standstill, it's losing hundreds of thousands of dollars a day, and the only way to get employees back to work is by meeting their demands. A SCAB doesnt think long term, nor does he think of anything other than himself. For example, should nurses be able to strike? I would never do it, but more due to fear of personal harm than out of allegiance. Economic times are tough and the factory is barely making a profit. Such campaigns may produce assaults, vandalism, and among the targets, medical problems and suicide attempts. By crossing the picket line, scabs and consumers indicate that they are not concerned about the rights of the workers, and they weaken the case of the strikers. What language? (Origin: temporary replacements for workers on strike - " scab labor"). ), Similarly, the Supreme Court of Iowa, in Delaney v. UAW Local 94 of John Deere Manufacturing Co. (2004), dismissed a suit filed by four nonunion workers who routinely had been subjected to taunts, insults, and threats for crossing a picket line during a 1987 strike at the John Deere Dubuque Works. The argument is that illegal immigrants sometimes accept jobs at lower wages and with dangerous working conditions, allowing employers to ignore the demands of labor unions. The website of United Auto Workers Local31 in Kansas City, Kansas publisheda Scab List from July 2014 that namesemployees and gives their department numbers. By making themselves available for work in the event of a strike, they effectively lessen the power of the strike as a bargaining tool. Those are Union-won days. As we mentioned earlier, the existence of scab labor is a constant threat to the viability of collective bargaining. Strikes were an important part of the early labor movement, which agitated for safer working conditions, better pay, and more reasonable hours. Legal Dictionary. Labor activists believe that striking is an effective tool, and that if the workers band together, they can achieve their goals. In a recent case, a 7th Circuit Court ruled that an employer can even refuse to hire back striking workers if their jobs are occupied by permanent replacements, further undercutting the power of strike actions [source: U.S. Court of Appeals]. The Love of Sports. Usually when someone scabs they will repeatedly ask a passer by (especally someone they know by name) for the thing they are after until they give in. 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