The New York City Labor Chorus, founded in 1991, has a national and international reputation. In 2011 it had 75 members representing 20 unions. The Working Theater was founded in 1985 to provide affordable theater for and about working people. The eighteen works in its spring 2011 season included fully staged plays, staged readings of completed works, open mic nights, and development readings of commissioned works.

According to the donor, this button dates from the 1950s and was worn during the long campaign to merge the two unions. In 1955, an agreement merging the two groups ended a long period of confict between the larger American Federation of Labor, a coalition of traditional craft unions, and the Congress of Industrial Organizations, a smaller, more liberal organization of industrial workers which had struggled to include African-Americans amongst its members.

The United Office and Professional Workers of America was an early left-wing union. It was one of several small unions representing warehouse, retail, and white collar workers which consolidated into District Council 65 of the United Automobile Workers of America (UAW) in 1979.

The United Wholesale and Warehouse Workers Union, Local 65, was affiliated with the United Retail, Wholesale and Department Stores Employees of America, CIO.

The button depicts the symbol of Amnesty International. Founded in 1961, Amnesty is dedicated to protecting human rights worldwide with a particular focus on political prisoners and prisoners of conscience. In 1977, at which time it had almost 2,000 groups in 33 countries, it was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.