Here's why there's a giant inflatable rat in downtown Seattle
SEATTLE - A giant, inflatable rat has moved into Seattle's Belltown neighborhood, so what is this all about?
The enormous, ugly critter is named Scabby the Rat, and is commonly associated with labor union workers who are on strike.
A "rat" is a contractor accused of working against their employees, for example, by paying substandard wages, not paying pensions or not guaranteeing standard benefits. A "scab" — or strikebreaker — is an employee who continues to work despite a labor strike, often hired after a strike has begun. To "cross the picket line" and enter a place of work is considered a cardinal sin among unionized laborers.
So why is Scabby the Rat in downtown Seattle?
FOX 13 Seattle went to the corner of Sixth and Borealis to figure out what the giant rat was doing there, and we met strikers from Carpenters Local 206. They are striking because of an ongoing dispute with Marysville-based contractor Jay's Drywall, who they say are not paying area-standard wages and benefits for their carpenters.
"SHAME ON JAY'S DRYWALL LLC FOR THE DESECRATION OF THE AMERICAN WAY OF LIFE," reads a dramatic pamphlet from the strikers.
Visiting Jay's Drywall Facebook page shows it hasn't been updated since 2021, and their website is defunct. A company registry page shows a "Jay's Drywall LLC" based in Marysville was administratively dissolved in Dec. 2023.
The strikers accuse Jay's Drywall LLC of not making payments for health care or pensions, and paying below the area standard wages.
"CALL [JAY'S DRYWALL] AND TELL THEM THAT CARPENTERS ARE AN ESSENTIAL PART OF YOUR COMMUNITY AND TO DO ALL THEY CAN TO CORRECT THIS SITUATION AND SEE THAT AREA STANDARD WAGES AND BENEFITS FOR [CARPENTER] CRAFT WORK ARE MET ON PROJECTS THEY ARE INVOLVED IN," the pamphlet continues.
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