It sure looks that way, if this cheap, low-budget flier is any indication. A flier (click photo for larger image) is being circulated in Rogers Park for the Don Gordon aldermanic campaign, but there are questions raised by it:Why was this low-quality flier approved? It is an amateurish production, obviously done in a hurry and printed off on either a cheap printer or a photocopy.
Why is there no Union Bug ("union label")?
Why couldn't the Gordon campaign take a bit more time and spend a bit more money to make a higher quality flier?
Is this allowed by the Chicago Tribune? Can a candidate use the Tribune's logo this way?
Why can't Don get one of his fat cat developer friends to hand over a few pfennigs for a decent flier?
I'm curious why having a union bug on a flyer is an important thing. I have noticed that the Broken Heart mentions this too. Unless it is a city ordinance to have all flyers printed (or endorsed) by the union, I don't see why it is necessary to point out.
ReplyDeleteDear chianim8r:
ReplyDeleteThanks, that is an excellent question! There is no law that requires the "union bug" but there is enormous peer pressure to do so. I'll try to be brief. Politicians are afraid of unions, and also (I'm generalizing) tend to pander to public opinion. When I mention the union bug I am being sarcastic, but others do it seriously. Politician fear being labeled anti-union so much so - and this is absolute fact - that they have fliers and other items printed by union shops, even when those union shops charge a lot more, deliver more slowly, and may be miles farther away. Think about this: If you have a shop in the neighborhood, employing neighborhood people and paying a fair wage, and delivering a good honest product at a competitive price, why should anybody NOT use their service? Answer: If you're a politician you might be labeled anti-union. The unions would have us all pay a higher price so that their corrupt leadership can continue to extort money from the members' wallets, and then donate some of that extorted money to politicians who suck up to the union. You know, like Joe Moore. Next time you hear someone bemoaning the loss of jobs overseas, ask yourself how many of those jobs were lost because someone insisted on paying more for a union bug.
I completely agree. I will actually try to avoid things with a union label, or try to hire non-union labor. Unions served a purpose in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They are just corrupt machines that steal from the members and drive once great companies in the ground and force American business overseas.
ReplyDeleteHi again! Look, I AM NOT ANTI-UNION per se. But I am anti-union LEADERSHIP. They are the problem, not the good men and women who do the heavy lifting. Please DO NOT avoid something just because is union made. Rather, avoid it because it is not Made in America. That might be a better way to go.
ReplyDelete