Hill & Knowlton and the University of California

In 2007 the University of California hired Hill & Knowlton to work on a communications strategy over its labor contract negotiations with local 3299 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) representing University of California (UC) employees. (In 2005 UC had hired H&K during labor negotiations with the California Nurses Association).

When AFSCME discovered that UC had hired H&K the union called on the university to drop the PR firm, citing John Stauber and Sheldon Rampton's book, "Trust Us, We're Experts," which recounted H&K's work opposing measures to reduce children's lead exposure. In a letter to UC President Robert Dynes, a coalition supporting the AFSCME branch pointed out that the company had also worked for the tobacco industry and "some of the worst human rights abusing states in the world."

In an email to PR Week, UC spokesperson Peter Schwartz defended using the controversial PR firm on the grounds that it "has been invaluable in helping us to keep our employees and the general public educated about UC labor negotiations." In a statement emailed to the trade publication PR Week, H&K's Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer Mark Thorne claimed that the union's criticism "is directed to work done more than 50 years ago. While we disagree that H&K ever was engaged in any improper conduct, our current firm policy is that we will not provide services in any way related to tobacco, anywhere in the world."

Subsequently UC has dismissed the union's objections but did not respond directly to the specific cases referred to in the initial letter. Instead, UC's Howard J. Pripas praised the PR firm. "Hill & Knowlton," he wrote, "is one of the most well-known and well respected firms in the world."

Ironically, while H&K's policy is not to work on tobacco accounts, the hierarchy of UC is opposing a proposed policy that would ban the university from accepting tobacco industry funding of research projects.

Other Sourcewatch Resources

 * Hill & Knowlton Uses Environmentalists to Peddle Coppertone
 * Hill & Knowlton/Defusing 'sensitive' issues
 * Hill & Knowlton goes to the Maldives
 * Hill & Knowlton Defends Fluorinated Gases
 * Hill & Knowlton, HUD & The Yes Men