What is a strikebreaker in the workplace?
A strikebreaker (sometimes called a scab, blackleg, or knobstick) is a person who works despite an ongoing strike. Strikebreakers are usually individuals who were not employed by the company prior to the trade union dispute, but rather hired after or during the strike to keep the organization running.
What is a good sentence for strikebreaker?
Examples of strikebreaker in a Sentence. In response, the factory owners, Max Blanck and Isaac Harris, hired strikebreakers and paid off the local police to arrest and sometimes violently attack the women. — Kim Kelly, Teen Vogue, "Demonstrators Remembered the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire," 26 Mar.
Can unions punish members who act as strikebreakers?
United Kingdom laws permit strikebreaking, and courts have significantly restricted the right of unions to punish members who act as strikebreakers. Canada has federal industrial relations laws that strongly regulate the use of strikebreakers.
Are strikebreakers legal in all countries?
The use of strikebreakers is a worldwide phenomenon; however, many countries have passed laws outlawing their use, as they undermine the collective bargaining process. As of 2002
Whats a scab union?
Legal Definition of scab 1 : a worker who refuses to join a labor union. 2 : a union member who refuses to strike or returns to work before a strike has ended. 3 : a worker who accepts employment or replaces a union worker during a strike : strikebreaker.
Why do they call workers scabs?
On Nov. 20, 1816, the term “scab” was used by the Albany Typographical Society to describe those who break strikes and work against union members. The term “scab” gained wide spread recognition when famous author Jack London used it in 1913 in his enduring poem: “Ode to a Scab.”
What is someone who works during a strike called?
countable noun. A strikebreaker is a person who continues to work during a strike, or someone who takes over the work of a person who is on strike.
What is a scab in striking?
Scabs is a derogatory name for union members who refuse to go out on strike or workers who are hired by businesses to replace striking workers. During the late nineteenth and the early twentieth centuries, strikes were commonplace within the United States.
Is it OK to cross a picket line?
When you approach a picket line you may be asked to honor the picket line. Politely asking someone not to cross a picket line is also a legally protected activity. The decision is yours, you have the right to cross the line or honor it.
Why do they call it the picket line?
The term itself comes from the French word piquet, meaning a stake or pole stuck in the ground, either to hold up a tent or fence or to mark a line.
Why are non union workers called rats?
Workers who used to replace union workers during a labor strike were historically called “rats” or “scabs,” explaining the origins of the moniker. The first reference in print of using an inflatable rat at a union protest appeared in a 1976 New York Times article about a sanitation worker strike.
Why do unions use a rat?
It's why they request this particular inflatable animal, even though the union also deploys inflatable cats and pigs. No matter the character, they have the same goal: to draw attention to a company with which the union has a dispute. "It's the iconic symbol of a labor dispute," Wartsbaugh says.
Why you should never cross a picket line?
Worse, it misleads them about their legal rights. To be absolutely clear, all workers, whichever union they're in and even if they're not in a union at all, have the same legal rights to participate in the strike. (See here for more.)
Why are strike breakers called black legs?
Since rooks have black legs, cheats are also called blacklegs. As time went by, this expression began to be used to refer to workers who cheat by going to work when their fellow employers are on strike. The word rookie also has its origin in the word 'rook'.
Can scabs join unions?
In the annals of labor history, few characters are more reviled than the so-called “scab”—the worker who refuses to join a union, or worse, whether or not a member, crosses a picket line during a strike.
What does the acronym scab stand for?
Screen, Code, Alarm & Notation (Aids)
What does scab mean in construction?
A scab is a relatively small piece of wood that is meant to join or splice two pieces of wood together perpendicular to eachother, so they are counterbalanced and increase the overall strength of the assembly. Scabs are commonly used in door frame construction and also truss or rafter applications.
Are scabs illegal?
Scabs, also known as replacement workers, are legal in most parts of the world. In the U.S., the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) of 1935 establishes strict protections for unions, but allows employers to permanently replace striking workers if the strike is based on economic gain [source: Legal Dictionary].
What were scabs in the 1800s?
The laborer who gives more time, or strength, or skill, for the same wage, than another, or equal time, or strength, or skill, for a less wage, is a scab.