Government-financed political propaganda at the Department of Labor is causing discomfort for some employees.
Signs posted in at least 20 DOL elevators depict Secretary Hilda Solis carrying a bullhorn and rallying alongside the Rev. Al Sharpton, the Free Beacon has learned. Next to the pictures is a quote from Solis that reads in part: "We all march in our own way."
"Whether we take to the streets or simply do our work with integrity and commitment here at the U.S. Department of Labor… we are all marching toward the same goals: safe workplaces, fair pay, dignity of the job, secure retirement, and opportunities to make a better life," the poster states.
It concludes with a call to action.
"I believe in the power of collective action. We all play a role. We all march."
Several employees labeled the ads as offensive, referring to them as shameless political propaganda, said one DOL employee who requested anonymity.
"It is propaganda. This is what being in a Chinese factory during the Cultural Revolution is like," the source said. "It’s offensive. It’s saying that we’re all on the side of Trayvon Martin, or whatever Sharpton is doing, and the people of Labor should be for it."
The source, who noted that other employees have recoiled at the sight of the posters, added that the endorsement of Sharpton and his tactics is offensive to Jewish people.
"It’s offensive to Jewish people because Sharpton was the engineer of a pogrom in Crown Heights" New York, explained the source.
Jewish leaders and others have criticized Sharpton for inciting a riot in Brooklyn in 1991 that targeted Jews.
Sharpton apologized nearly 20 years later, admitting that he did not "know the full volatility of the situation" at the time.
It is unclear how much money the posters have cost the government to produce, but the DOL source speculated that across three years—when the signs first began to appear—the signage could total close to $1 million dollars.
The chief of the General Services Administration was forced to resign and other top employees were fired Monday after it was revealed that the administration was misspending government dollars.
A DOL press officer did not respond to a request seeking comment on the posters.
The DOL source explained that new pro-Obama posters appear in the elevators nearly every week. The source, who has worked at the department for more than a decade, said that the signs started appearing shortly after Obama entered office.
Other posters have touted "gay rights, quotes from Obama, and pictures of Obama with quotes from the chairman," the source added.
