The Department of Public Relations helps the union implement its goals and objectives by increasing the public’s understanding of PEF’s positions on a wide variety of issues, and in doing so aims to positively influence major state policies affecting union members.
We articulate and publicize the union’s positions, policies and programs though our media relations, advertising campaigns, member services and community outreach events.
Using these tools, in 2001 the PR Department worked to help PEF advance its goals of achieving full staffing, stronger contracts, job security, merit system enforcement and retirement reform. And we publicized PEF’s efforts to maintain and strengthen quality public services, activities which also enhanced the union’s public image.
Media Relations
Speaking out against the state’s plans to cut funding for key public services dominated our activities of this year. We conducted several news conferences and prepared scores of rally signs, button, stickers, news releases, opinion articles and letters to editors spelling out PEF’s opposition to state budget plans to close and consolidate state mental health facilities, and to eliminate parole, among other issues. We also carried extensive coverage of these topics in The Communicator.
In addition to holding media events throughout the year concerning the proposed state psychiatric center cutbacks, In May, staff of the Public Relations Department coordinated a major news conference at the State Capitol to publicize the growing nursing shortage and promote legislation to resolve the problem.
Against a backdrop of hundreds of pairs of empty nurses shoes and dozens of PEF nurses, President Roger Benson and the co-chairs of PEF’s statewide Nurses Committee addressed a throng of media reporters. The event yielded widespread, positive news coverage from the Associated Press, Gannet News Service, Staten Island Advance, Syracuse Post Standard, Legislative Gazette and from all of the major news organizations in the Albany area. Because of the coverage given by AP and Gannet, and from the network-affiliated television stations in Albany, the media event was also featured in newspapers and newscasts in Buffalo, Binghamton, Poughkeepsie and the Bronx. The news conference generated more than 20 TV and radio reports and 12 newspaper articles.
We also conducted a major news conference in July publicizing PEF’s formation of the “Children’s Mental Health Partnership,” a coalition of labor groups, mental-health advocacy groups and concerned individuals. The news conference also unveiled the PEF/Partnership ad campaign produced by the PR Department to save the children’s psychiatric centers.
Staff of the PR Department wrote and issued dozens of media advisories and news releases on a range of other issues including: the union’s community service projects in December; PEF’s reaction to the governor’s annual “State of the State” message; reaction to the Executive Budget; several releases on PEF leaders’ testimony in Albany, New York City and Syracuse on proposed budget cuts and PEF’s opposition to the proposed mental health care cutbacks; PEF’s opposition to parking proposals affecting Capital District state employees; the nursing home inspector shortage; PEF’s support of Alan Hevesi for New York City Mayor; PEF’s court victory on release of employee injury records; and PEF’s opposition to parole reform proposals.
We arranged dozens of live and taped interviews for the PEF President with reporters from around the state. We also worked with the Civil Service Enforcement Department in preparing and distributing letters to editors and op-ed articles for President Benson opposing the state’s overly business-friendly economic priorities and on the need for more state Department of Transportation civil engineers.
We researched and responded to hundreds of inquiries from newspaper, radio, Internet, and television reporters around the state on a variety issues.
These outreach activities produced positive coverage of PEF’s issues in dozens of media outlets including: the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Albany Times Union; Newsday; the New York Daily News; the Syracuse Post Standard, the Lockport Journal News; the Rockland Journal News; the Daily Gazette; the Chief Leader; WRGB-TV; WNYT-TV; WTEN-TV; WSTM-TV; WGRZ-TV; WKBW-TV; WIVB-TV; WGY-AM; WROW-AM; WFAN; WEVD-AM; and WAMC.
Advocacy ads
We designed ads for PEF’s safe staffing campaign featuring the photos and stories of two PEF members who were victims of violence at their worksites. These ads appeared in the Legislative Gazette and the Empire State Report magazine. We also designed and placed in the Legislative Gazette ads outlining the union’s opposition to the Rockefeller Drug Law reform proposals and to budget cuts threatening the shared staff program.
In April and May the Public Relations Department wrote, designed, produced and placed newspaper ads blasting the state’s plans to close the Middletown and Hutchings Psychiatric Centers and to move children’s mental health facilities onto the grounds of adult facilities. The ads appeared in daily and/or weekly newspapers in Syracuse, Middletown, Rockland, Buffalo and Queens as well as in the Legislative Gazette.
In June and July we also conceptualized, edited and produced radio and print ads for the union’s quarter-million dollar ad campaign to save four children’s psychiatric centers from the state budget ax. The ads feature the face and voice of the mother of a teenager diagnosed with mental illness, who pleads with state lawmakers to keep the centers open. Department staff oversaw production of each component of the campaign, from copywriting to directing the recording session to purchasing the ad space.
The Communicator
Our staff of writers, editors, artists and our freelance writers produced the union’s official publication for PEF members and all its advertising supplements. This huge task involves researching, conducting interviews and writing and editing all the articles; shooting photographs; coordinating the work of PEF’s member-volunteer photographers; creating and designing related artwork, and, overseeing the pre-press, printing and mailing processes.
Several issues also contained special inserts prepared by Department staff, including the PEF annual audit, the notice to feepayers, the Membership Benefits Audit, the Annual call for Convention Delegates and a 2001 calendar.
The Department was honored for excellence in journalism and public relations, winning six awards from the national AFT Communicators Association including three awards for best news story, best feature story and best layout, and a second-place award for the last year’s “fight for a fair contract” radio ad. We also won several awards for Communicator articles during the year from the International Labor Communicators Association and from the Metro New York Labor Communicators Council.
Member Services
Media Training
At the request of the Region 8 Coordinator, in March, PR Department Director Denyce Duncan Lacy conducted a workshop for stewards and activists on how to use the media to spread the union’s messages. The workshop provided video feedback on preparing for media interviews and handling media interviews. In September Lacy delivered a similar workshop for PEF leaders from Regions 5, 7 and 9 at a conference held in Binghamton.
Special projects
PR Department staff wrote, edited, designed and produced Frontline, the quarterly publication for labor/management chairs and union leaders; Connection, the quarterly publication for PEF’s PAC PALs; and signs and posters for the union’s “Stop illegal clock watching” campaign.
Convention Preparation
We wrote or edited and designed and prepared all the publications, forms, videos, informational and graphic arts projects needed for the annual PEF Convention, including designing the stage backdrop and designing and coordinating production of various promotional items for several Regional Coordinators.
We also worked with the PEF’s Event Coordinator and PEF Vice President Joe Fox in coordinating technical arrangements with the audiovisual production company PEF has contracted for this event.
PEF Information Line and Web site
The union’s telephone information line was updated every Monday morning and more frequently as needed with news on legislative developments and upcoming union-related events, special programs or activities.
We also converted Communicator articles, info-line updates, press releases and the like for uploading onto PEF’s Web site.
Community Outreach
In November, the Director of Public Relations made a presentation on media and public relations to a group of Communications Department students at the State University at Albany.
We coordinated arrangements for PEF’s participation in the annual Capital Region Food Bank holiday fundraising drive in December.
Staff designed informational and display materials for the annual Legislative conference of Black and Puerto Rican legislators in February, and provided staff support at the union’s booth. In March, we coordinated with CSEA a “Speak Out” against the proposed closure of the Middeltown Psychiatric Center. We also designed informational and display materials and coordinated arrangements for PEF’s participation in the annual “Somos El Futuro” conference sponsored by the Association of Puerto Rican and Hispanic lawmakers in April, and prepared display and informational materials for the parole officers legislative forum in New York City.
In May the department coordinated arrangements for President Benson to be a speaker at the Empire State Report Conference on Health Care.
We also coordinated and oversaw all the logistics for PEF’s participation in the annual State Fair in Syracuse in August and September, designing and producing the display materials and promotional items, securing the booth space and necessary equipment and supplies and coordinating delivery of the items and booth set-up with the PEF Purchasing Department.
Other Graphic Design and Production
In addition to The Communicator, staff of the department wrote, edited, typeset, designed and coordinated production of scores of items, including:
• the stickers and posters for the “short-staffing hurts” campaign;
• “PEF supports Hillary” bumper stickers and buttons;
• postcards announcing PEF’s support of endorsed candidates;
• the Health and Safety Department’s new brochure and a newsletter;
• the PEF Legislative Agenda;
• Communicator and souvenir journal ads; and,
• dozens of retirement and special service certificates, plaques; stationery items; business cards; and promotional items requested by union leaders.
Advertising Sales
The sale of advertising space in The Communicator and in special advertising supplements and the PEF web site during this period totaled more than $187,800, revenue which helps offset the cost of producing the magazine.