Why is it called a picket line?
From picket (“stake driven into the ground; soldier or small unit of soldiers assigned to perform a duty; protester positioned outside a workplace, etc., during a strike; the protest itself”) + line.
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.
What is a picket line in US history?
Picketing is a form of protest in which people gather outside a business, government office, or some other site. They typically carry signs stating their position and stand or march in a group known as a picket line.
Why don’t you cross a picket line?
Crossing or not crossing a picket line can be a highly personal decision for an employee. Crossing the line can result in harassment from picketing co-workers and, in some cases, threats of violence. But honoring the picket line can leave employees feeling vulnerable about financial and job security.
Is it OK to cross a picket line?
Refusing to cross a lawfully established picket line is protected by the National Labor Relations Act. You have the legal right not to cross a picket line in solidarity with your own union, out of sympathy for workers from another union, or just to avoid confrontation.
What is a military picket line?
A “picket,” or sentinel, served as the eyes and ears of the army. Posted as close to the enemy as possible, the picket was responsible for noting any movements of the enemy and alerting the main line or camp of an enemy attack. An additional duty of the picket was to prevent desertion from his own ranks.
What is a picket line in civil war?
Picket: Soldiers posted on guard ahead of a main force. Pickets included about 40 or 50 men each. Several pickets would form a rough line in front of the main army’s camp. In case of enemy attack, the pickets usually would have time to warn the rest of the force.
Is picketing illegal?
Mass picketing is unlawful under federal law because large unruly crowds could be used for the purpose of intimidation. Employees are entitled to picket in small numbers outside the employer’s facilities, but they cannot block entrances or demonstrate in front of an employer’s home.
Why are picket line crossers called scabs?
The term “scab” was first used in the 13th century to mean a nasty, itchy skin disease or the crust that forms on a wound. By 1806, the word “scab” arrived at its current meaning — a strikebreaker who willingly crosses the picket line [source: Lexicon of Labor, Online Etymology Dictionary].
Why are replacement workers called scabs?
As you can imagine, those replacement workers are not, and historically have not, been very popular. Derived from the Old English sceabb and the Old Norse skabb (both meaning “scab, itch”), the word “scab” had become an insult by the late 1500s, having adopted a secondary definition that meant “a lowlife“.
Which things may employees not do during a picket?
Purpose of the picket
It may be to encourage employees not to work during the strike or lock-out. It may be to dissuade replacement labour from working. It may also be to persuade members of the public or other employers and their employees not to do business with the employer.
How do picket lines work?
Picketing is a common tactic used by trade unions during strikes, who will try to prevent dissident members of the union, members of other unions and non-unionised workers from working. Those who cross the picket line and work despite the strike are known pejoratively as scabs.
Who can join a picket line?
You can lawfully join a picket line as long as the picketing is: connected to a trade dispute which you are involved in. carried out at or near your own workplace. carried out peacefully.
What is a secondary picket?
Legal Definition of secondary picketing
: the picketing of an employer who conducts business with an employer with whom a union has a dispute. Note: Secondary picketing that is not for the purpose of informing the public of the dispute violates the Labor Management Relations (Taft-Hartley) Act.
Why is secondary picketing illegal?
The NLRA protects the right to strike or picket a primary employer – an employer with whom a union has a labor dispute. But it also seeks to keep neutral employers from being dragged into the fray. Thus, it is unlawful for a union to coerce a neutral employer to force it to cease doing business with a primary employer.
What is a lawful picketing?
A picket line is where workers and union reps (‘picketers’ or ‘pickets’) stand outside a workplace to tell other people why they are striking.
Is picketing legal in USA?
Picketing is constitutionally protected as an exercise of freedom of speech. However, picketing is subject to reasonable regulation. For example, where picketing takes place may be restricted as an unfair labor practice, or a company may be able to get an injunction to prevent irreparable injury caused by picketing.
Is picketing free speech?
“Picketing by an organized group is more than free speech, since it involves patrol of a particular locality and since the very presence of a picket line may induce action of one kind or another, quite irrespective of the nature of the ideas which are being disseminated.
Can non union employees picket?
Non-union employees cannot go on strike because only unions may call strikes. Non-union workers do have similar rights to unionized workers, but they need to be addressed in a different manner.