Apedia

Century Made Employee Yellow Dog Yel Oh Dawg Adjective Contemptible Anti Union

Front yellow-dog \yel-oh-DAWG\
Back adjective
1. Mean, contemptible.
2. Anti-union.

[In the 19th century, the noun "yellow dog" developed a derogatory sense, meaning a low, despicable person. This usage probably came about from the traditional association of the color yellow with cowardice. Just before the turn of the century, "yellow-dog" started to be used by writers who were derogatorily describing organizations that expressed opposition to trade unions. The popularized term "yellow-dog contract" referred to an agreement made by an employer and employee in which the employee agrees not to join a labor union during the time he or she is employed. While such contracts proliferated in the 1920s, they were later made unenforceable in U.S. federal courts under the Norris-LaGuardia Act (1932).]

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