flying picket: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C1/C2Formal, technical (labor relations, journalism, historical analysis)
Quick answer
What does “flying picket” mean?
A group of striking workers who move from one workplace to another to support or encourage other workers to join a strike.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A group of striking workers who move from one workplace to another to support or encourage other workers to join a strike.
A tactic used in labor disputes where mobile groups of pickets are deployed to strategic locations, often to maximize impact by targeting key sites or to circumvent legal restrictions on picketing at a single location.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
The term is far more common in British English due to its historical use in UK industrial disputes. In American English, the concept exists but the specific term 'flying picket' is less frequently used; 'secondary picketing' or 'mobile picket' might be more common.
Connotations
In UK context, it carries strong historical/political connotations linked to the miners' strikes and trade union militancy. In the US, it may be seen as a more technical labor law term.
Frequency
High frequency in UK historical/political discourse; low frequency in general American English.
Grammar
How to Use “flying picket” in a Sentence
The union [VERB] flying pickets to the depot.Flying pickets [VERB] the factory gates.[NOUN PHRASE] was disrupted by flying pickets.Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “flying picket” in a Sentence
noun
British English
- The flying picket arrived from Yorkshire to support the local strikers.
- The use of flying pickets was a key feature of the 1984 miners' strike.
- Legislation was introduced to curb the power of flying pickets.
American English
- The labor organizers discussed the legality of deploying a flying picket.
- The union's strategy included potential flying pickets to key distribution centers.
- Historical accounts of the teamsters' disputes sometimes mention flying picket tactics.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Used in analysis of labor disputes, industrial action, and business continuity risks.
Academic
Common in political science, industrial relations, sociology, and modern history papers discussing trade union tactics.
Everyday
Rare in everyday conversation except when discussing historical strikes or current major industrial action.
Technical
A precise term in labor law and industrial relations denoting a specific form of picketing that may have legal restrictions.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “flying picket”
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “flying picket”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “flying picket”
- Using 'flying picket' to refer to a picket line at an airport (wrong).
- Confusing it with a 'picket line' in general.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
It depends on the jurisdiction and specific laws. In many places, including the UK under current legislation, secondary picketing (picketing a workplace not directly involved in the primary dispute) is heavily restricted or illegal, which often covers the actions of flying pickets.
A picket line is typically a static demonstration at the entrance to a workplace on strike. A flying picket is a mobile unit that travels to other, often related, workplaces to encourage solidarity action or to block deliveries/etc.
Because the tactic was famously and controversially used during major UK industrial disputes in the 1970s and 1980s, particularly the miners' strikes, embedding the term in the national political vocabulary.
It is almost exclusively a noun. The action would be described as 'deploying flying pickets' or 'sending flying pickets'.
A group of striking workers who move from one workplace to another to support or encourage other workers to join a strike.
Flying picket is usually formal, technical (labor relations, journalism, historical analysis) in register.
Flying picket: in British English it is pronounced /ˌflaɪ.ɪŋ ˈpɪk.ɪt/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˌflaɪ.ɪŋ ˈpɪk.ɪt/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of 'flying' not as in airplanes, but as in 'moving quickly from place to place,' like a flying visit. A 'flying picket' flies between workplaces.
Conceptual Metaphor
INDUSTRIAL ACTION IS WAR (deploying troops/squads to different fronts).
Practice
Quiz
What is the primary characteristic of a 'flying picket'?