[New York Diary] Surge in U.S. Strikes Keeps Giant Balloon Rats Busy

Scabby the Rat, the Icon of American Labor Disputes
A Surge in Strikes and Lost Workdays Amid Changing Work Culture and Inflation

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

Walking the streets of New York, USA, one occasionally encounters large rats in front of buildings or in squares. These are distinctly different from the common rats said to outnumber New Yorkers throughout Manhattan. Standing over 300cm tall, with bloodshot red eyes, sharp teeth and claws, these giant balloon rats made of gray PVC material are mainly called 'Scabby the Rat.'

For decades, Scabby has become an icon of labor disputes in the United States. If Scabby is standing somewhere, it means there is a conflict between workers or labor unions and employers. Scabby has appeared not only at protests by individual workers fighting unfair labor practices alone but also at the Hollywood writers' strike protests in New York this year and in front of Starbucks stores in Philadelphia last year during unionization-related strikes.

Since the pandemic, unionization efforts at companies like Amazon and Starbucks have intensified in the U.S., leading to a surge in labor disputes and strikes. This year alone, large-scale strikes by Hollywood broadcast and film writers, actors and broadcasters, automobile workers, and healthcare unions have occurred across the country. While Scabby has not appeared at every site, its presence has become more active accordingly.

Recent figures on lost workdays clearly show how sharply labor disputes have increased in the U.S. Lost workdays measure social losses caused directly by labor disputes in terms of workdays. As of August, the number exceeded 4 million days. This is the first time since August 2000, when a massive strike at telecommunications giant Verizon caused 4.18 million lost workdays, that the figure has surpassed 4 million.

Earlier, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on these Department of Labor data results, stating, "More workdays have been lost to labor disputes in the U.S. this year than any other. It is union influence unseen in decades."

Additionally, changes in work styles and treatment perceptions following the pandemic, real income declines due to soaring inflation, and the emergence of new technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) have all combined to strengthen American support for strikes and union activities. A Gallup poll released last month showed that 61% of American respondents believe union activities help the economy.

The appearance of Scabby in front of a building near Wall Street, USA

On the 16th (local time), hundreds of Starbucks stores across the U.S. held the largest strike in history. Outside a Starbucks near New York University’s Manhattan campus, about ten employees held a banner reading "No Contract, No Coffee," protesting for wage improvements and increased staffing. Known as 'Red Cup Day,' this day is considered a peak moment when customers order seasonal drinks and receive reusable red cups. Approximately 5,000 people participated in the strike that day.

Starbucks announced it would raise employees' hourly wages by at least 3% starting next year, but the union expressed dissatisfaction, saying this is unreasonable considering the company's 11% sales growth. For them, the recent 25% wage increase secured after a six-week strike by the automobile union seems like another victory signal. President Joe Biden’s actions?emphasizing 'fair distribution,' demanding concessions from automobile companies, and being the first sitting president to visit a strike site?speak volumes.

Coincidentally, next year is a presidential election year. As workers’ grievances over working conditions and inflation manifest through strikes, the calculations of U.S. presidential candidates are becoming even more complicated. Wage increase strikes are expected to continue in the U.S. for the foreseeable future.