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NALC Looks Back at the 1970 Postal Strike

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NALC Looks Back at the 1970 Postal Strike NALC looks back at the 1970 postal strike his year, as the nation once again considers a week after the future of the Postal Service and the the first letter Tletter carrier profession, letter carriers are carriers walked looking back to the Great Postal Strike of 42 out, branches in years ago for inspiration. several other “The letter carriers who risked so much to cities had voted stand up for their rights knew that they had to to join them. By stick together,” said NALC President Fredric March 23, thou- Rolando. “In New York, when the first group sands more letter voted to strike, they didn’t all go in the room carriers nationwide agreeing on their course of action. But they all had joined the strike left the room ready to act as one. That’s the or were poised to. power of a union.” The Post Office In 1970, letter carriers had minimal collective- Department negoti- bargaining rights restricted to local issues. Pay, ated with the union benefits and working conditions lagged behind throughout the strike, the rest of the workforce—some carriers even and when it seemed qualified for welfare. Pushed to the limit, carriers a breakthrough was at New York Branch 36 voted on March 17, 1970, likely, the letter carriers to walk off the job. One of their leaders, who held put down their signs and no official office in the branch at the time, was a returned to work. It had letter carrier named Vincent Sombrotto, who taken only a week, and a would later become president of NALC. shutdown in only a small This was no ordinary strike, because it was portion of the country, to make their point. technically illegal. With no collective-bargaining The Nixon administration, Congress and the rights, postal workers were not covered by laws public now understood that letter carriers do regulating labor relations, and striking was a a difficult but essential job under tight dead- fireable offense. In fact, any letter carrier, espe- lines and stressful conditions, and that they cially a prominent leader of the strike, could deserved better. have faced prosecution and jail time. A few weeks later, NALC and the Post Office Support for the strike was far from univer- reached an agreement that included pay raises. sal—the vote on the walkout was 1,555 to 1,055. More importantly, Congress acted quickly to But the next morning, nearly every letter carrier reorganize the Post Office into a new, self- either stayed home or showed up with a picket sustaining U.S. Postal Service—with collective- sign instead of a satchel. bargaining rights for its employees. Letter The impact of their unity became clear very carriers finally had a voice. quickly as the mail piled up. NALC President James Rademacher was on Court injunctions ordering the strikers to hand when President Nixon signed the postal return to work were issued, and ignored. The reorganization law on Aug. 17, 1970. That law’s strike spread throughout the New York City opening statement still rings true today: area. Thousands of clerks, drivers and other “The United States Postal Service shall be postal workers refused to cross picket lines, operated as a basic and fundamental service effectively joining the strike. provided to the people by the Government President Richard Nixon ordered 25,000 of the United States, authorized by the Consti- National Guard soldiers to case and carry the tution, created by Act of Congress, and sup- mail. All this accomplished, though, was to ported by the people. The Postal Service shall strengthen the hand of letter carriers. Try as have as its basic function the obligation to pro- they might, the National Guardsmen weren’t vide postal services to bind the Nation together ready to step in and perform letter carrier duties. through the personal, educational, literary, and The mail piled up more, and mail that did reach business correspondence of the people. It shall mailboxes often ended up in the wrong ones. provide prompt, reliable, and efficient services But the endgame was clear when the strike to patrons in all areas and shall render postal began to spread beyond New York. In less than services to all communities.” ✉ NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF LETTER CARRIERS APRIL 2012 I POSTAL RECORD 13.
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