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427:, the largest postal workers union in the world. APWU was a conglomeration of previous labor unions in mail service. The NAPE’s origins from the “thirteen original colonies” compiled of college-educated African American railway mail service workers. NAPE, standing for National Alliance of Postal Employees, began in 1923 to unionize all African Americans in the United States Postal Service. Evolving into incorporating government workers outside the postal service, the name commonly used now is
360:
411:. Effective July 1, 1971, the U.S. Post Office Department became the U.S. Postal Service, an independent establishment of the executive branch. The four major postal unions (National Association of Letter Carriers, American Postal Workers Union, National Postal Mail Handlers Union, and the National Rural Letter Carriers Association) won full collective bargaining rights: the
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394:, workers were given an additional 8% wage increase. Although the Postal Strike was "unlawful," it ended up being the largest strike against the Federal Government and the first walk-out against the Federal Government in U.S. history. Remedies from this strike included lower-cost life insurance, increased wages, and safer working conditions.
330:
When the strike first kicked off, mail couriers were delivering more than 270 million pieces of mail a day. Due to couriers striking, this led to the lack of distribution of the mail and a massive buildup of important government and financial documents. The strike not only affected a normal citizens
310:
President Nixon appeared on national television and ordered the employees back to work, but his address only stiffened the resolve of the existing strikers and angered workers in another 671 locations in other cities into walking out as well. Workers in other government agencies also announced they
334:
During 1970, the annual salary for a postal worker was $ 6,176 (equivalent to $ 48,455 in 2023) in comparison with sanitation workers, who were making $ 7,870 (equivalent to $ 61,746 in 2023). After the postal workers conducted numerous pickets, they had finally won a 6% wage increase.
294:
On March 17, 1970, in New York City, members of
National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) Branch 36 met in Manhattan and voted to strike. Picketing began just after midnight, on March 18. This was a mass action where rank and file leaders emerged like Manhattan letter carrier
306:
workers were eventually involved across the nation, although initially the strike affected only workers in New York City. These workers decided to strike against the wishes of their leadership. The spontaneous unity produced by this decision empowered the workers.
314:
Authorities were unsure of how to proceed. Union leaders pleaded with the workers to return to their jobs. The government was hesitant to arrest strike leaders for fear of arousing sympathy among other workers, and because of popular support for the strikers.
381:
had at its peak more than 18,500 military personnel assigned to 17 New York post offices, from regular Army, National Guard, Army
Reserve, Air National Guard and Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps Reserve. This was not necessarily very effective.
367:
Nixon spoke to the nation again on March 23, asking the workers to go back to their jobs and announcing that he would deploy the
National Guard to deliver mail in New York. This announcement was accompanied by Proclamation 3972, which declared a
200:
by federal postal workers in March 1970. The strike began in New York City and spread to some other cities in the following two weeks. This strike against the federal government, regarded as illegal, was the largest
615:
It is doubtful, however, if troops would be very effective. Though the Army has its own postal operation to handle mail for servicemen, few soldiers have any experience in the complex task of operating a postal
247:
At the time, postal workers were not permitted by law to engage in collective bargaining. Striking postal workers felt wages were very low, benefits poor and working conditions unhealthy and unsafe.
258:
The Post Office
Department's management was outdated and, according to workers, haphazard. Postal union lobbying of Congress to obtain higher pay and better working conditions had proven fruitless.
275:
as a major contributor to the 1970 strike as well as other radical labor actions. They highlight several causal connections, including cultural climate, overlapping personnel, and the simple "
268:
workers, and this population increased as whites left postal work in the 1950s and '60s for better jobs. Postal workers in general were upset about the low wages and poor conditions.
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390:
The strike ended after eight days with not a single worker being fired, as the Nixon administration continued to negotiate with postal union leaders. With Nixon signing the
261:
An immediate trigger for the strike was a
Congressional decision to raise the wages of postal workers by only 4%, at the same time as Congress raised its own pay by 41%.
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described
Manhattan (New York City) post offices as like "dungeons," dirty, stifling, too hot in summer, and too cold in winter.
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fell due to the strike's effect on trading volume, and there was concern that the stock market would have to close entirely.
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The importance of black workers was amplified by militancy outside the post office. Isaac & Christiansen identify the
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Nixon's
Proclamation 3972 declared a national state of emergency, and authorized military control over the post office
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daily life, but also prohibited 18 year old men from being notified about them being drafted to go to war in
Vietnam.
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There's Always Work at the Post Office: African-American postal workers and the fight for jobs, justice, and equality
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There's Always Work at the Post Office: African-American postal workers and the fight for jobs, justice, and equality
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There's Always Work at the Post Office: African-American postal workers and the fight for jobs, justice, and equality
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Isaac, Larry; Lars
Christiansen (October 2002). "How the Civil Rights Movement Revitalized Labor Militancy".
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981:"Video of President Nixon announcing federal intervention in the postal strike & strikers speaking"
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had a history of labor unionism that included postal workers. This postal worker unionism within the
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on wages, benefits and working conditions, although they still were not allowed the right to strike.
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Striking postal workers highlight the disparity in wages between themselves and the politicians
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leadership rose as
African American civil rights activists joined the postal workers union.
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299:, who would go on to be elected first branch and then national president of the NALC.
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Nixon then ordered 24,000 military personnel forces to begin distributing the mail.
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would strike if Nixon pursued legal action against the postal employees.
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for a better salary. With pressure applied, President Nixon signed the
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885:. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Army Center of Military History. p. 15
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439:
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457:(CRM) was kept off media news due to the activism being in the
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On July 1, 1971, five federal postal unions merged to form the
27:
Eight-day strike by workers in the U.S. Post Office Department
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president James Rademacher, NALC rank and file strike leader
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The postal strike influenced the passage and signing of the
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rights for postal workers (though not the right to strike).
987:
from the original on December 14, 2021 – via YouTube.
882:
Department of the Army Historical Summary: Fiscal Year 1970
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in an attempt to distribute the mail and break the strike.
540:. Smithsonian Institution. March 17, 2010. Archived from
569:. American Postal Workers Union, AFL-CIO. Archived from
64:
began in New York City, spread across the United States
993:"Chapter 7: Nixon and Ford Administrations, 1969–1977"
431:, National Alliance of Postal and Federal Employees.
940:. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press.
804:. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press.
512:. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press.
160:
121:
87:
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59:
51:
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323:The strike crippled the nation's mail system. The
748:"Stocks Sag on Low Volume Due to Postal Strike"
561:
559:
722:"Wildcat Postal Strike Worsens; 3 States Hit"
8:
826:"Text of Nixon Speech on Post Office Crisis"
905:"The Great Postal Strike of 1970 | AFL-CIO"
223:The strike influenced the contents of the
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997:Brief History of DOL, U.S. Dept. of Labor
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231:, replaced it with the more corporate
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596:"The Strike that Stunned the Country"
339:felt pressure from postal workers to
73:Low wages and poor working conditions
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728:. Times Wire Service. March 20, 1970
304:United States Post Office Department
229:United States Post Office Department
875:Bell, William Gardner, ed. (1973).
286:could accomplish political change.
1046:1970s strikes in the United States
693:"Notes on the Postal Strike, 1970"
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409:Postal Reorganization Act of 1970
264:The post office was home to many
225:Postal Reorganization Act of 1970
55:March 18–25, 1970 (approximately)
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355:Nixon summons the National Guard
111:United States federal government
40:
1031:Labor disputes in New York City
1026:1970 labor disputes and strikes
628:Carter, Art (March 31, 1970).
130:New York City letter carriers
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425:American Postal Workers Union
419:American Postal Workers Union
656:American Sociological Review
233:United States Postal Service
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471:List of US strikes by size
214:United States armed forces
194:U.S. postal strike of 1970
35:U.S. postal strike of 1970
18:U.S. postal strike of 1970
1021:1970 in the United States
934:Rubio, Philip F. (2010).
798:Rubio, Philip F. (2010).
538:Pushing the Envelope Blog
506:Rubio, Philip F. (2010).
403:Postal Reorganization Act
392:Postal Reorganization Act
345:Postal Reorganization Act
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82:Postal Reorganization Act
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774:"The 1970 Postal Strike"
634:Washington Afro-American
534:"The 1970 Postal Strike"
347:(PRA) to create the new
972:Organized labour portal
630:"NAPE pickets PO talks"
378:Operation Graphic Hand
364:
227:, which dissolved the
1056:1970 in New York City
455:Civil Rights Movement
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273:civil rights movement
237:collective bargaining
171:approximately 200,000
150:, Postmaster General
983:. October 23, 2007.
877:"Operational Forces"
830:St. Petersburg Times
726:St. Petersburg Times
573:on February 24, 2009
341:collectively bargain
277:demonstration effect
852:"PROCLAMATION 3972"
778:postalmuseum.si.edu
349:U.S. Postal Service
413:right to negotiate
370:national emergency
365:
302:More than 210,000
284:civil disobedience
697:Root & Branch
544:on March 24, 2010
438:Era, Mississippi
434:During the 1960s
297:Vincent Sombrotto
235:, and guaranteed
205:in U.S. history.
196:was an eight-day
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140:Vincent Sombrotto
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699:. pp. 1–5
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105:Labor unions
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1002:December 5,
447:Minneapolis
78:Resulted in
1015:Categories
909:aflcio.org
889:August 28,
577:August 28,
477:References
386:Conclusion
290:The strike
281:nonviolent
253:Moe Biller
251:president
208:President
914:March 17,
783:March 24,
609:April 27,
70:Caused by
985:Archived
465:See also
451:St. Paul
436:Jim Crow
398:Outcomes
216:and the
60:Location
676:3088915
616:system.
88:Parties
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860:May 7,
836:May 7,
808:
758:May 7,
732:May 7,
703:May 7,
674:
639:May 7,
548:May 7,
516:
319:Impact
243:Causes
198:strike
161:Number
855:(PDF)
672:JSTOR
599:(PDF)
440:NAACP
429:NAPFE
266:black
1004:2006
942:ISBN
916:2023
891:2009
862:2012
838:2012
806:ISBN
785:2023
760:2012
734:2012
705:2012
641:2012
611:2019
579:2009
550:2012
514:ISBN
449:and
249:APWU
192:The
136:NALC
52:Date
664:doi
181:few
176:few
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