Many years ago I discovered a cartoon market called Union Communication Services, Inc., a company that offered a graphics packet to U.S. labor unions. The packet consisted of pro-labor gag cartoons and various other clip artwork that union editors could subscribe to and use in their newsletters, leaflets, magazines and newspapers.
(Aside: My father and mother, both immigrant garment workers, were proud members of the I.L.G.W.U. Anyone who lived in New York City in the 1930’s and 1940’s knew what those letters stood for – – the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union. If one wanted to work in the garment industry in those days, it had better be in a union shop. So I guess you could say that I was definitely raised in a pro-union atmosphere.)
I easily sold a slew of union-oriented gag cartoons to Union Communication, and you can see them by linking to “Union Communication” under “Publications” in my sidebar. The editor I worked with soon asked me if I was interested in also doing some “spots” for the graphic packet. These spots consisted of a cartoon drawing with an educational or an informational message, such as on-the-job safety reminders, recruiting new members, supporting union causes, consulting with the union stewards, and so forth. The editor would pay the same rate I was getting for the gag cartoons, and he would supply me with the topics he wanted me to cover. So I started doing the spots, and he again bought a slew of them, along with my regular gag cartoons.
In the interest of making my “archive” as complete as possible, I now intend to post all of these spots. Please don’t be confused when you don’t get the humor – – it’s an educational message, not a gag cartoon.
Here’s the first union “spot”, with many more postings to follow.
