Why did postal workers go on strike in 1970?
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%. The post office was home to many black workers, and this population increased as whites left postal work in the 1950s and ’60s for better jobs.
Was there a postal strike in 1971?
The first full national strike in the history of the British Post Office took place from Wednesday 20th January to Sunday 7th March 1971. It took place against a background of increasing inflation and worsening industrial relations over the preceding decade, both in the Post Office and in the country in general.
How long was the postal strike in 1971?
seven weeks
The postal workers’ strike of 1971. POSTAL services across Britain were halted for seven weeks in early 1971 as postal workers went on strike.
Was there a postal strike in 1970?
In March of 1970, the United States had been in a financial and commerce standstill for two weeks. Tired of poor working conditions and low pay, postal employees went on strike at 499 post offices in 13 states. Mail piled up and went undelivered while the eyes of the nation were focused on the strikers.
Who started the US postal strike of 1970?
President Richard Nixon vowed to crush the postal workers. “We have the means to deliver the mail,” he claimed. It was a hollow claim. He dispatched 23,000 United States Armed Forces personnel to New York City to process the mail, but without proper training, there was no way they could do the job.
What did the Postal Reorganization Act of 1970 do?
The Postal Reorganization Act of 1970 was a law passed by the United States Congress that abolished the then United States Post Office Department, which was a part of the cabinet, and created the United States Postal Service, a corporation-like independent agency with an official monopoly on the delivery of mail in the …
When was the post office strike?
May 3
Post Office workers are staging a one-day strike in a dispute over pay on May 3. Members of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) voted in favour of industrial action following a 2021 pay freeze and a 2 per cent pay rise in April – which they deem “degrading”.
When was the last post office strike?
March 18, 1970
New York City postal workers picket the General Post Office.
What year was the post office strike?
March 18, 1970U.S. postal strike of 1970 / Start date
What happened during the great postal strike of 1970?
Clerks and other postal workers refused to cross their picket lines. Then, the wildcat strike suddenly spread across the country. By the following week, 200,000 postal workers from New England to California had walked off the job. Time called it the largest walkout ever against the Federal government.
Who signed the Postal Reorganization Act?
President Richard Nixon
President Richard Nixon signed the Act in law on August 12, 1970. The legislation was a direct outcome of the U.S. postal strike of 1970.
Can US Postal workers strike?
It is still illegal for them to strike now. But they remain the only federal workers who have a right to negotiate their wages through collective bargaining. In 2018, a Trump administration task force recommended they lose that right as part of postal reform.