Shattuck Slasher Strikes Union’s Rat

The incident followed by one day the presentation by dealership management of what they dubbed their “last and best offer” to solve the long running labor dispute.

Union officials scoffed at the offer.

Members of East Bay Automotive Machinists Lodge Local 1546 have been picketing the dealership since new owners purchased the dealership on June 1 and voided the existing contract signed when the dealership was owned by Jim Doten.

Teamster Jim O’Hara, who has been walking the picket line, said he had momentarily left the rat moments after noon Thursday to talk to colleague Dave Allen, who was picketing near the dealerships shop entrance.

The two soon observed with alarm that the $3,000 rat had started to keel over.

“At first, we thought maybe the generator had died,” O’Hara said.

But the generator—which is made by Honda—was still quietly chugging away.

On lifting up the sadly supine rodent, they discovered three long knife slashes in the critter’s belly, and O’Hara grabbed his camera to document the incident as his colleague called police.

Mike Cook came out from union headquarters with a repair kit, and in less than three hours the rodent was inflated anew and presiding once again over the southwest corner of the intersection of Shattuck Avenue and Parker Street.

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