Fans of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade may have noticed one glaring omission in its cast of charismatic balloons and floats: Scabby the Rat, who for some reason, has never been invited.
But what employer wouldn’t want a reminder from Scabby—“an imposing 12-foot inflatable rat, replete with red eyes, fangs, and claws,” as the National Labor Relations Board puts it—to stay on its best behavior?
Macy’s workers in northwest Washington rectified this last year by prominently featuring Scabby when they launched a strike and boycott campaign against the retailer over low wages and safety issues. Scabby was also the star of their own mock Thanksgiving Parade.
Members of Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 3000 had been working under an expired contract since last March.
“What many shoppers may not realize is that a lot of us store workers can barely afford to cover our health care premiums, on top of housing, food, gas and other basic needs on the low wages we are paid,” said Nicole Hardin, a 17-year Macy’s employee who works at the cosmetics counter and who served on the local’s negotiating team.
Hardin was one of over 400 Local 3000 members who went on a three-day unfair labor practice (ULP) strike in November. They walked out of Macy’s stores at three area malls on Black Friday, the infamously busy shopping day.