United States 1970

Synopsis

In March 1970 the first nationwide strike of federal employees occurred in New York City. Plagued by persistent problems, the most important being low wages, the postal carriers of New York's local number 36 walked out on 17 March 1970. Within two days the New York strikers were joined by mail carriers throughout the Northeast. The postmaster general obtained an injunction ordering postal carriers back to work, but the federal government was unwilling to enforce the injunction so early in the strike. Because the majority of the country's financial correspondence traveled through New York, the postal strike was of national concern. After failed attempts to fashion an agreement, President Richard Nixon finally stepped in and ordered the use of troops, enforced injunctions, and stated that no negotiations would be held until the postal workers went back to work. This pressure worked, and postal...