Leaked Home Depot Anti-Union Video by southernprogressive
The Home Depot, a multi-million dollar corporation, recently created a pathetic anti-union video it will presumably show to new employees. The leaked video is a disturbing example of just how far the War on Workers has gone.
The high-quality, 14-minute clip features over-bubbly employees dressed in The Home Depot garb chirping about why working for the company is so freakishly awesome. They mention great benefits like medical, 401(k) and job security (yeah, right). What they don’t mention are the facts:
• 85 percent of union members have defined pensions—not 401(k)s;
• According to research, the majority of working Americans say they would join a union if they could;
• A strong union contract is the only way to ensure job security.
The video also conveniently forgets to mention serious violations filed against The Home Depot by OSHA in 2010 for “lacking adequate personal protective equipment and deficient injury recordkeeping.” It overlooks a class-action suit brought against the company for failing to provide adequate seating for employees who need it.
Oh, but it gets better. In 2001, The Home Depot paid $10 million to settle a lawsuit claiming it mishandled hazardous material and improperly trained employees who handled that material. The ADA has cited The Home Depot for discriminating against deaf workers. Home Depot CEO Frank Blake was implicated in a lawsuit that alleged numerous instances of abuse, including harassment, falsification of company documents, forgery and retaliation.
Employees in the video talk about Home Depot’s honest, open-door communications policy. They say,
We have a good thing here at Home Depot. You know, unions like to talk about giving workers a voice, but at Home Depot our associates already have a voice.But they don’t bring up the fact that in 2008, Home Depot Founder Bernie Marcus said any CEO that doesn’t contribute to Republicans opposed to Employee Free Choice “should be shot.” So much for open communication.
