SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
John Oliver understands that spreading information is easier when you bake a little humor in. (Photo: Screenshot/YouTube)
John Oliver Just Aired the Best Anti-Union Busting Segment We've Ever Seen
Responding to Striketober, John Oliver produced the best report on union busting we've ever seen. Union supporters call it "inoculation."
Nov 18, 2021
October saw the largest number of workers on strike in years, and 2021 has seen a dramatic rise in coverage of unionization efforts. John Oliver, host of Last Week Tonight, took aim on his show at the efforts by companies to keep unions out. Whether or not you are likely to see a union drive at your workplace, it matters that more Americans understand how union busting and corporate pressure tactics work; the more you know, the better you can push back against their deceitful propaganda.
While not everyone will have the patience to watch the entire report (23 minutes) we'll happily steer you towards the best bits. (But you should watch the whole thing.)
First, we have the laughably produced "captive worker" video produced by Target. The funny part is that they end up making it clear that a union would be amazing, something anyone in retail will get immediately:
In response to this corporate crap, Oliver creates the union busting captive worker video of any fevered boss's dreams:
John Oliver understands that spreading information is easier when you bake a little humor in. In the case of workers attempting to organize in the face of an entire industry arrayed against them, a dash of contempt for the boss is essential. Thank you John, for giving workers a good laugh.
A version of this article first appeared at ProgressiveHub, a project of RootsAction.org
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Charles Lenchner
Charles Lenchner is on staff at Progressive Hub. He has previously appeared in New Labor Forum, Democratic Left, The Indypendent, and The Real News. Lenchner is a founder of The People for Bernie Sanders and the labor training hub Organizing 2.0.
October saw the largest number of workers on strike in years, and 2021 has seen a dramatic rise in coverage of unionization efforts. John Oliver, host of Last Week Tonight, took aim on his show at the efforts by companies to keep unions out. Whether or not you are likely to see a union drive at your workplace, it matters that more Americans understand how union busting and corporate pressure tactics work; the more you know, the better you can push back against their deceitful propaganda.
While not everyone will have the patience to watch the entire report (23 minutes) we'll happily steer you towards the best bits. (But you should watch the whole thing.)
First, we have the laughably produced "captive worker" video produced by Target. The funny part is that they end up making it clear that a union would be amazing, something anyone in retail will get immediately:
In response to this corporate crap, Oliver creates the union busting captive worker video of any fevered boss's dreams:
John Oliver understands that spreading information is easier when you bake a little humor in. In the case of workers attempting to organize in the face of an entire industry arrayed against them, a dash of contempt for the boss is essential. Thank you John, for giving workers a good laugh.
A version of this article first appeared at ProgressiveHub, a project of RootsAction.org
Charles Lenchner
Charles Lenchner is on staff at Progressive Hub. He has previously appeared in New Labor Forum, Democratic Left, The Indypendent, and The Real News. Lenchner is a founder of The People for Bernie Sanders and the labor training hub Organizing 2.0.
October saw the largest number of workers on strike in years, and 2021 has seen a dramatic rise in coverage of unionization efforts. John Oliver, host of Last Week Tonight, took aim on his show at the efforts by companies to keep unions out. Whether or not you are likely to see a union drive at your workplace, it matters that more Americans understand how union busting and corporate pressure tactics work; the more you know, the better you can push back against their deceitful propaganda.
While not everyone will have the patience to watch the entire report (23 minutes) we'll happily steer you towards the best bits. (But you should watch the whole thing.)
First, we have the laughably produced "captive worker" video produced by Target. The funny part is that they end up making it clear that a union would be amazing, something anyone in retail will get immediately:
In response to this corporate crap, Oliver creates the union busting captive worker video of any fevered boss's dreams:
John Oliver understands that spreading information is easier when you bake a little humor in. In the case of workers attempting to organize in the face of an entire industry arrayed against them, a dash of contempt for the boss is essential. Thank you John, for giving workers a good laugh.
A version of this article first appeared at ProgressiveHub, a project of RootsAction.org
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.