What does 'Trump is a scab' mean?

The United Auto Workers president wores at the Democratic National Convention wore a t-shirt with the words “Trump is a scab” printed across the front, but was does it mean?

The DNC is taking place in Chicago, with political heavyweights including Barack and Michelle Obama due to take the stage as Joe Biden passes the torch to Kamala Harris – the Democratic nominee for November’s presidential election.

The UWA president Shawn Fain took to the stage and became a social media sensation after wearing a t-shirt under his suit jacket containing the phrase “Trump is a scab. Vote Harris”.

As he praised Harris and threw his support behind the Vice President, Fain repeated the claim that Trump is a scab.

What does “scab” mean?

The term “scab” refers to a worker who refuses to join a union and a worker who crosses the picket line during strike action, according to the Huffington Post.

Trump’s track record as president saw him appoint Supreme Court picks who helped deal a major blow to public sector unions by denying them the right to collect a small fee from workers who are not in a union but who benefit from working in a unionised workplace.

At the DNC, the controversial former president was also criticised for failing to keep open a large General Motors plant in Ohio, despite promises to do so, costing people their jobs.

The United Auto Workers is one of a number of high-profile unions that have thrown their support behind Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, for the upcoming presidential election.

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