Hat tip to Gawker for letting the world see how Target tries to brainwash its employees into not joining unions with threats, distortion, lies and fear.
The central message of anti-union Target: unions are greedy businesses (just like Target!) that just want your money and won't or can't help you.
My four favorite parts for those short on time:
1.) At 3:05: "Workers know that all the good things unions once did...child safety laws, workman's comp...they're all laws now...and nobody wants to pay dues for something they already have. So the numbers [for union membership] just keep going down."
Wow, so you don't want a union because unions are great and did swell stuff?!
2.) At 6:59: "Hi, I'm Jim Rowader, team members have the right to join unions, but they also have a right not to join a union...Target members agree union representation is not in their best interest.
Are employees supposed to be intimidated by a guy who looks like he's straight out of an appointment with the drill sargeant's barber shop -- but wearing a pretty red turtleneck -- telling them that joining a union is a bad idea?
3.) At 9:40: "...just sign the card -- everybody else is doing it!"
Target tries to pretend it's teaching you the bandwagon approach, just like middle school health class.
4.) At 11:15: "Even if there was a union here, the company can and would legally demand that Target and only Target would make the final decision on wages and benefits regardless of what the union promises. In other words, management doesn't have to agree to any union demand."
This is the, "We're at the end of the video and just want to intimidate you now part of the video," I suppose.
After you enjoy the hilarious video below (yes, it has the feel and vocabulary of an early-1990s anti-drug video for middle school students), please be on the lookout for individuals lurking in the comments.