Giant Inflatable Rat on West Broadway in Southie
If you’re on a construction site, it’s never a good sign when a giant inflatable rat shows up. Well, this week, the rat and about a dozen protesters showed up to protest in front of 202 West Broadway
They are there to picket the non-union workers hired by the developers, Cedarwood Development.
The protest is happening right next to Olga’s Kafe – but they are not protesting the wildly popular Southie coffee shop – so you won’t be crossing the picket line.
The 12-foot tall rat, complete with pointy teeth and red eyes, is a symbol of a labor dispute and has been used for decades by labor unions. They serve as a sign of opposition against employers or nonunion contractors and are intended to call public attention to companies employing nonunion labor.
In addition to the Rat, we also notice a giant inflatable Fat Cat choking a union construction worker in one hand and a large bag of money in the other fist. It must be a new addition to the protest family.
A Little Union Trivia
Did you know that the giant, inflatable rat has a name? His name is Scabby the Rat.
Maureen Dahill is the editor of Caught in Southie and a lifelong resident of South Boston sometimes mistaken for a yuppie. Co-host of Caught Up, storyteller, lover of red wine and binge watching TV series. Mrs. Peter G. Follow her @MaureenCaught.
they should have hired union workers… it would have cost 3X as much, and taken 5X as long.
Educate yourself
There are Labor Agreements in Boston that their workers are to be paid the same as unions. The unions set the standard wage and the non unions follow suit.
Some non unions comply with rules and pay their employees according. Cedarwood Development is skirting the rules and their uneducated employees are paying the price! There is a total lack of human compassion at their job sites in regards to safety. They prey on people with limited to no English and pay penny’s on the dollar. EVERY worker, union or not, deserves to be treated fairly.
It’s amazing what you can find out with 20 min of research and a few calls after driving by “Scabby” (love that!!) yesterday!! BTW—no response or call back from a Dave Winnick from Cedarwood.