The AFL-CIO is launching a $1.5M ad campaign designed to improve the public perception of unions. Observers note the federation may be trying to capitalize on the Occupy movement and reflect some Occupy energy towards unions that have been steadily sinking in the public’s opinion for the past two decades. The ads fall back on the fanciful notion of unions as representatives of all working people and the only remaining check on corporate power. One 30-second TV ad scheduled to air in Pittsburgh, Austin, Texas, and Portland, Ore., features close-ups of archetypical union workers — firefighters, airline pilots, teachers — with a voiceover saying, “Work doesn’t separate. It’s what binds us together. I teach your kid, you fix my car, he builds my city, she keeps it safe. Work is what connects us.” “This campaign showcases the values that America’s unions share with all working people: hard work, quality work, and how every one of us is connected,” said AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Liz Shuler.
