Labor Union Public Relations

Public relations continues to play a vital role as a vehicle of communication for labor unions. Always aware of the value of taking their case to the general public, once labor unions became institutionalized, they realized the need for effective professional public relations. Public relations philosophy, strategies, and tactics have long been used in struggles for and against organized labor and its goals, as well as for optimal goal achievement by non-union agents working cooperatively with agents of organized labor. The uses of public relations against organized labor and by organized labor against businesses have been fueled by an “us versus them” way of thinking that has dominated much of the relationships between big business and labor. To some degree, the “us versus them” mentality has been overcome, and organized labor and big business have worked together to reach common goals.

Scott Cutlip (1995) was among the first to suggest that “much of public relations history—constructive and destructive—is woven into [the] unending struggle between employer and employee that today is fought with publicists, not Pinkertons” (pp. 204–205). In fact, many labor unions are quite skilled in the use of public relations.

Unions, as well as the companies with which they clash, realize the need to build a case for their grievances. This is especially true if a strike is involved that can affect the lives and businesses of persons outside of the company—especially its commercial customers. In the not-so-distant past, a vice president for corporate relations with UPS Company went on record advocating that it is not good to underestimate the public relations power of unions such as the Teamsters. He lamented that doing so may well make an opposing organization lose the battle for a desirable public image. This lesson was learned during a labor clash between UPS and the United Teamsters. The current socioeconomic culture in the United States drives the need for a favorable image since image often determines whether an organization will or will not be successful at achieving its goals.

The American Federation for Labor–Congress for Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) defines a union on its official Web site as “a group of workers who come together to win respect on the job, better wages and benefits, more flexibility for work and family needs, and a voice in improving the quality of their products and services. Workers in unions counter-balance the unchecked power of employers.” As a representative body for organized labor in the United States, the AFL-CIO engages in public relations strategies and tactics to further the pursuits of organized labor. Each union, then, at the national level as well as at the local level, also uses public relations strategies and tactics to further its pursuits.

The beginnings of the Industrial Revolution brought with it the beginnings of organized labor. Unions were formed with leadership often provided by those formerly trained in the ways of Communism, in direct response to the treatment workers received from industrialists. The time was riddled with violence both within the factories and around strikes and strikebreaking activities. Within union activity, however, public relations strategies and tactics were used to rally workers to organize, to gain community support, and to communicate pro-labor messages to factory owners and representatives of the United States government. At the same time, public relations strategies and tactics were used by industrialists to rally support within communities and among representatives of the government against organized labor and its goals. Public relations led the way as industrialists learned to communicate with the press and union representatives, and as union representatives learned to communicate with the press and the industrialists, among themselves, and with their memberships. Organized labor used the power of public relations to lead the way to such accomplishments as the abolishment of child labor practices in the United States, and to secure a standard 40-hour work week, overtime legislation, medical provisions, and the like.

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