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Remembering the Great Postal Strike His Year, As Congress Once Again Up News Remembering the Great Postal Strike his year, as Congress once again up. Court injunctions ordering considers the future of the Postal the strikers to return to work were TService, letter carriers are looking issued, and ignored. The strike back to the Great Postal Strike of 47 spread throughout the New York years ago for inspiration. City area. Thousands of clerks, “The letter carriers who risked so drivers and other postal employees much to stand up for their rights knew refused to cross picket lines, effec- that they had to stick together,” NALC tively joining the strike. President Fredric Rolando said. “In President Richard Nixon or- New York, when the first group voted dered 25,000 National Guard sol- to strike, they didn’t all go to the room diers to case and carry the mail. agreeing on their course of action. But The only thing this accomplished, they all left the room ready to act as however, was to strengthen the one. That’s the power of a union.” hand of letter carriers. Try as In 1970, letter carriers had minimal they might, the National Guards- collective-bargaining rights restricted to men weren’t ready to step in and local issues. Pay, benefits and working perform letter carrier duties. The conditions lagged behind much of the mail piled up higher, and mail Congress acted quickly to reorganize rest of the workforce—some carriers that did reach mailboxes often ended the Post Office into a new, self-sustain- even qualified for welfare. Pushed to up in the wrong ones. ing U.S. Postal Service—with collective- the limit, carriers at New York Branch But the endgame was clear when bargaining rights for its employees. 36 voted on March 17, 1970, to walk the strike began to spread beyond New Letter carriers finally had a voice. off the job. One of their leaders, who York. In less than a week after the first NALC President James Rademacher at the time held no official office in letter carriers had walked out, branches was on hand when President Nixon the branch, was a letter carrier named in several other cities had voted to join signed the postal reorganization law on Vincent Sombrotto, who would later them. By March 23, thousands more let- Aug. 17, 1970. That law’s opening state- become president of NALC. ter carriers nationwide had joined the ment still rings true today: This was no ordinary strike, because strike or were poised to do so. it was technically illegal. With few The Post Office Department negotiat- “The United States Postal Service collective-bargaining rights, postal ed with the union throughout the strike, shall be operated as a basic and funda- employees were not covered by laws and when it seemed a breakthrough mental service provided to the people regulating labor relations, and striking was likely, the letter carriers put down by the Government of the United was a fireable offense. In fact, any letter their signs and returned to work. It had States, authorized by the Constitution, carrier, especially a prominent leader of taken only a week, and a shutdown in created by Act of Congress, and sup- the strike, could have faced prosecution only a small portion of the country, to ported by the people. The Postal Ser- and jail time. make their point. The Nixon adminis- vice shall have as its basic function the Support for the strike was far from tration, Congress and the public now obligation to provide postal services universal—the vote on the walkout was understood that letter carriers do a to bind the Nation together through 1,555 to 1,055. But the next morning, difficult but essential job under tight the personal, educational, literary, nearly every local letter carrier stayed deadlines and stressful conditions, and and business correspondence of the home or showed up with a picket sign that they deserved better. people. It shall provide prompt, reli- instead of a satchel. A few weeks later, NALC and the able, and efficient services to patrons The impact of their unity became Post Office reached an agreement that in all areas and shall render postal clear very quickly as the mail piled included pay raises. And, importantly, services to all communities.” PR March 2017 The Postal Record 21.
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