By Louis Huneke and the Flatiron Hot! News Editorial Staff

Red-eyed, disfigured, and grotesque, the infamous inflatable rat, Scabby,  made another appearance for the AFL-CIO. This time, the rat gave New Yorkers an unavoidable “hello” at Best Buy’s 23^rd Street location, right in front of their main entrance on 6th Avenue.  The rat has made numerous appearances across the city, and has been covered on a few occasions in previous blog posts. Flyers handed out to pedestrians this time state that Best Buy has hired Phantom Painting to conduct renovations to its NYC store locations. Phantom Painting, according to the flyer, unfairly pays its workers and does not provide adequate benefits and a living wage according to prevailing union rates.  Nobody was on hand from Phantom Painting or Best Buy to give their side of the story.  The hard-to-miss rodent is part of the “cat-and-mouse” game played between management and labor in the city, as both sides attempt to curry favor and influence the general public in these matters.  The contest for public opinion plays out and adds color and drama to the Flatiron District and Chelsea.