What does it mean to be a 'scab'?

WASHINGTON — The opening night of the Democratic National Convention featured speeches from top Democrats and union leaders, including United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain. 

Fain called Vice President Kamala Harris a "fighter" for the working class while denouncing former President Donald Trump as a "scab." The union leader's remarks led to chants of “Trump’s a scab” by the crowd at the Democratic convention.

What is a scab?

The term "scab" refers to workers who cross picket lines and defy union actions. 

“It’s getting hot in here, folks,” Fain said, referencing a song by musician Nelly, before removing his suit jacket to show a T-shirt that read, “Trump is a scab. Vote Harris.”

Fain noted that Biden visited a UAW picket line last year and, when autoworkers struck in 2019, Harris, not Trump, walked the picket lines. “Donald Trump is all talk and Kamala Harris walks the walk,” Fain said.

The backing of the UAW could be crucial for Democrats seeking to erode Trump’s superior margins among white voters without college degrees who identify as blue-collar.

Earlier in the night, several other union leaders lined up behind Harris. 

“We are all in for Kamala Harris because Kamala Harris has always been all in for us,” said April Verrett, president of the Service Employees International Union, or SEIU.

Verrett was among the group of union leaders who took to the stage to counter the courting of blue-collar workers by Trump, who invited the head of the Teamsters to speak at the Republican National Convention. Teamsters President Sean O’Brien was not among the union leaders speaking at the Democratic convention on Monday.

The crowd waved “UNION YES!” signs as the leaders spoke. Most union households have backed Democrats, helping the party win in key states such as Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin in 2020.