Irony: union actor from Target's anti-union flick speaks out

Hope you had a good weekend, JwJers. I have a little gem for you.

This article dates back to last Thursday, but with all the excitement (Interfaith Worker Justice conference! Paid sick days legislation passes in Philly! And we'll get you yet, Walmart!), there just hasn't been enough of a lull for me to find a moment to share it.

Although Walmart's various evils usually get more publicity, Target stores are pretty viciously anti-union, and have been for a while.

Under current laws, companies are allowed to turn their employees into a captive audience for anti-union propaganda films--like Target's 2003 classic, "Think Before You Sign."

Interestingly, Target ended up hiring union actors because... well, because union actors have this reputation for being professional and responsible. Coincidence, I'm sure.

Anyway, Ric Reitz, the actor who plays friendly Target worker "Doug" in this film, recently talked a little bit about his experience with this particular job:

Reitz says when he got the script for the 2003 Target video, the anti-union content struck him as "very awkward."

"You take the job, and you're an actor," says Reitz, a longtime member of AFTRA and the Screen Actors Guild. "Am I pro-union? Absolutely."

Kind of great, right?