Red illustration of a four legged creature with a pointy tail and a smile with red text above and below on a white background

KQED, covering the San Francisco area, is one of the country’s top public broadcasting stations. In late 1974 and early 1975, 80 employees of their TV and radio stations went on strike, marking the first major strike against any public broadcasting station in history. The strikers and their union, the National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians, churned out buttons, bumper stickers, t-shirts, posters and leaflets with this image which helped to gain popular support for KQED’s engineers, camera operators, announcers and others. The strikers held rallies and popular demonstrations, which garnered hundreds of letters of support demanding refunds for network contributions and vowing to discontinue donations if the strike was not settled fairly for the employees. The cause was even supported by popular folk singer Joan Baez, union leader Cesar Chavez, and then-State Assembly Speaker Willie Brown. Sadly, the strike ended with employees only getting their most basic demand for union contracts, but little else. 

Illustration of an old fashioned stove with a red outline and line across the image on a white background with black text on the outer edge

This slogan was developed by Malcolm M. Knapp, Inc., a company that provided a variety of consulting services to clients in the foodservice industry, in 1977. During the 1970’s the “stamp-out” term was applied to multiple social causes and it is used here rather ironically for the restaurant industry. The button encourages people to eat out more for the benefit of restauranteurs and the foodservice industry in general. 

Illustration of a screw and red text on a white background

This button most likely corresponds with California Proposition 32, which was defeated by voters in November of 2012. The proposition sought to prohibit unions from using payroll-deducted funds for political purposes and permit voluntary employee contributions to an employee-sponsored committee or union with yearly written authorization. The proposition also aimed to ban contributions to candidates by corporations and labor unions and ban contractors who receive government contracts from donating to office holders involved in awarding the contract or committees controlled by said officers.  The proposition was strongly opposed by workers unions and supporters of unions who view the proposition as being anti-labor.

Illustration of a black and white cow on a turquoise background with black text

This button was part of an awareness campaign ran by the Washington State Dairy Federation (WSDF) in the 1990's. During this time, many dairy farmers were going out of business due to low milk prices and efforts to increase regulations. The phrase "save the spotted cow" was a play on another campaign, "save the spotted owl" that sought to decrease logging that destroyed their habitats. The campaign, however, had little success as prices stayed low and many more dairy farmers chose to leave their businesses in hard economic times.

Illustration of a tree in green and brown with black text on a white background

"Put Your Money Where the Money Is" refers to a trademark slogan by Leon Shaffer Golnick Advertising, Inc. This is an advertisement for Mutual Savings and Loan Association that, along with an image of the tree, reads: "Under the Spreading Money Tree, This is the likely place for your seed money. Money you want to save in the safest, most convenient, most productive way. Or, money you want on terms you can live with for a home loan. This is the place to see the fruits of your labor grow. Here, where the smart money is. PUT YOUR MONEY WHERE THE MONEY IS...does you more good there!"

Illustration of a person putting trash in a garbage can with white text on a green background

Have info on this button? Contact us here.

Blue text on a white background with an illustration of a dove inside of the Star of David. Peace is written in Arabic, English, and Hebrew. Two light blue stripes in a wavelike manner to represent the Israeli flag.

The desire for peace in Israel between the Arabs and the Israelis is reflected in the symbolism of this button through the colors and the dove. The blue represents trust and peace, the white stands for wholeness, and this is reinforced with the imagery of the dove. Peace is written in English, Arabic (Salaam), and Hebrew (Shalom), and a dove is often a symbol associated with peace. Currently there is conflict in the occupied territories including the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and the Golan Heights as well as the main part of Israel. Many groups have been formed to promote and advocate peace in Israel through humanitarian efforts.

Illustration of an American flag oulined in gold on a dark blue background with gold stars and gold text

The origin of the first American flag is unknown. Some historians believe it was designed by New Jersey Congressman Francis Hopkinson and sewn by Philadelphia seamstress Betsy Ross.

Have info on this button? Contact us here.

Illustration of a yellow flower with a green stem on a white background with black text

The Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network was originally called the Regional Organ Bank of Illinois when it was founded in 1986. Gift of Hope is a federally designated not-for-profit organ procurement organization that coordinates organ and tissue donation and services to families of donors in the northern three-quarters of Illinois and northwest Indiana. Organ donation encompasses the donation and transplantation of one or more organs without compensation from a deceased or still-living donor. Organ donation is a very complex and personal issue involving medical, legal, religious, cultural, and ethical components. There is a great disparity of people waiting for transplants and registered organ donors.

White text on a blue background

This button was created by the Police Reserve Association of New York City to show support to the New York City Police Department. The Police Reserve Association was created in 1918 by the New York City Police Commissioner, Richard Enright. The organization now consists of private citizens working together to support New York City police officers.