NALC Office of the President: James H. Rademacher Records

Posted December 18th, 2008 by kdowgiewicz

Accession Number:

LR001313

Use restriction:

No material in this collection may be photographed or otherwise copied/digitized without written permission from the copyright holder.

Extent:

11 linear feet (11 SB)

James H. Rademacher was elected the 14th president of the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) at the 46th Biennial Convention in 1968 and held that position until 1976. Rademacher was born into a family of letter carriers, and began his career as a temporary substitute carrier in 1941. During his time at Branch No. 1 in Detroit, Rademacher entered into union activity by accepting the job of station representative. From there, Rademacher served as Branch secretary, then president, meanwhile working on numerous boards and committees before becoming field director for various regions around the country. In 1960, Rademacher was elected national assistant secretary-treasurer, then national vice president in 1962 when he also became editor of the NALC Postal Record. His tenure as president included events such as the strike of 1970, the creation of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), collective bargaining for postal workers, and negotiated contracts to improve working conditions, pay and benefits for letter carriers. However, amid growing internal dissension over the union's relations with USPS management and vocal dissatisfaction with his leadership, Rademacher chose not to run for reelection.

Date:

1950-1987, bulk 1968-1977

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