The late Congressman Don Young was criticized for occasionally using colorful language. But Rep. Mary Peltola is no slouch. She got in line with the AFL-CIO union in a recent retweet of a message that was openly hostile to all nonunion workers: “Good morning, Saturday morning, to everyone except union busters & scabs,” the message said.
Peltola may not know that the origin of the word “scab” means any worker who is not part of a union. In union parlance, scabs are the lowest form of life on earth — even lower than company managers. The word “scab” is used to intimidate people who are not part of unions or who want to work in spite of a strike called by a union.
Peltola has invited Labor boss Joey Merrick as her guest at the State of the Union speech by President Joe Biden on Tuesday, Must Read Alaska has learned. Merrick, business manager for Laborers Local 341, is the husband of state Sen. Kelly Merrick of Eagle River. It is unclear if Merrick has accepted the invitation.
President Biden will address a Joint Session of Congress at the United States Capitol on Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023 at 9 pm Eastern, 5 pm Alaska Time. It is considered an important event that will mark the launch of his 2024 bid for reelection.
Peltola’s comments on scabs comes on the heels of her verbal support for striking bus workers in the Mat-Su Borough. She called for an immediate resolution to the dispute, writing, “Striking is never an easy decision for workers — particularly educational professionals. The Teamsters Local 959 voted nearly unanimously to begin striking for better pay and safer working conditions. I’m sure they didn’t make this decision lightly. Let’s get them a good deal ASAP so they can get back to serving the Mat-Su community. When workers organize, they win!”
