Inflatable rats seek cover after labor board's ruling - By Joy Davia, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, NY
The rats have long had First Amendment protections, according to several court rulings.
But a National Labor Relations Board administrative law judge earlier this year said that a Long Island union unlawfully used the rats. That ruling has since been appealed.
The problem?
The union can put out fliers decrying a company, flexing free speech rights.
But when you couple the rat with the fliers, the union's actions are no longer considered free speech, but a form of picketing, the NLRB judge ruled.