Documenting Labor Inside and Out
Political Action
Public Relations Spotlight -- United University
Professions
A more indirect way to get the attention of politicians is through the
use of public relations campaigns. By taking their case to the public that forms
legislators' constituents, labor organizations seek to increase their influence with
the weight of public opinion.
Like the records of strikes, the records of a public relations campaign can
come in many unusual forms, and are therefore at a higher risk of not being saved for posterity.
Yet things such as tapes of radio and television commercials, copies of
advertisements that appeared in the newspaper, and the various "gimmicks" used
(from t-shirts to teddy bears) are important in documenting exactly what the
organization's message was and the creative ways with which it sought to get
that message across.
The records of United University Professions (UUP) held in the
Archives of Public Affairs and Policy include numerous
materials from UUP's public relations campaigns. Some of
those items are shown here. UUP represents the faculty and non-teaching professional
staff at the State University of New York (SUNY). Its primary public relations message
over the years has been that cuts in the state budget that reduce SUNY's funding threaten
the quality of education that SUNY can offer, adversely impacting SUNY's prestige as well
as the quality of education it can offer New Yorkers.
Of course, making the case for not cutting the state
budget is not entirely altruistic--the larger the SUNY budget the more money is available
to pay those who work for SUNY (UUP's members) and the lower the risk that they
may be laid off. This does not detract, however, from the validity
of UUP's concern for SUNY nor the value of the records of its public relations
campaigns that document the varying ways UUP's message has been framed over the
years.
|
