IAIan Afflerbach

1. Article · Aug 8, 2026 · Ian Afflerbach, University of North Georgia

   How organized labor shames its traitors − the story of the ‘scab’ (opens the original)

   Excerpt · English

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   Over its long history, the American labor movement has displayed a remarkably rich vocabulary for shaming those deemed traitors to its cause. Some insults, such as “blackleg,” are largely forgotten today. Others, such as “stool pigeon,” now sound more like the dated banter of film noir. A few terms still offer interesting windows into the past: “Fink,” for example, was used to disparage workers who informed for management; it seems to have been derived from “Pinkerton,” the priva

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