As
partnership bargaining begins, Kaiser Permanente’s “Office of Labor Management Partnership”
is waging a propaganda campaign that would make George Orwell blush.
The campaign -- aimed at convincing workers that Kaiser's execs and sellout unions
are not um actually selling them out -- delivers its message via magazines,
websites, videos, tweets, Facebook posts, email blasts, instagram… and
even cartoons.
Check out
one of the latest-and-greatest piece of partnership propaganda below.
It's a cartoon showing Kaiser
execs and partnership unions leading workers to a fantastic future filled
with promise and a glistening city of gold. Pay special attention to the business-suited execs who lead the ignorant
healthcare workers in scrubs to a sunny “tomorrowland” by telling them: “Idle
fear is the risk. It derails progress and partnership."
And when the workers finally reach "Tomorrowland," they jump for joy and exclaim in unison:
"We made it to the other side. Hip hip for us and to our guides. Planning
and prep that helped our passage. But working together was our key
advantage!"
So who
actually dreams this sh*t up?
Here's a
picture of some of the Propaganda Team during last month's Bargaining Kickoff. While workers listened to speeches from Kaiser execs and SEIU-UHW's Dave Regan in a hotel ballroom, the Propaganda Team was busily working in a hotel conference room upstairs.
The team reportedly
includes Lisa Hubbard, Maureen Anderson, Andrea Buffa, Anjetta
McQueen, Laureen Lazarovici, and
Julie Light.
Together,
they’ve produced such journalistic gems as the following articles in “Hank,” a
glossy pro-partnership magazine published and distributed to Kaiser workers by the
Office of Labor Management Partnership.
Here's one edition subtly titled "Partnership: The Choice of Champions." And another that pictures Kaiser's workers inside Dorothy's magical shoes as they travel down the path towards the Emerald City of Oz, which sparkles amidst a golden sunset.
More to
follow!
