Remarks About Work Stoppages in the Postal System.

My fellow Americans:

I want to report to you on developments on the postal work stoppage and on the actions I have decided to take.

First, the overwhelming majority of postal workers across the Nation remain on their jobs--upholding their tradition and their oath to support the Constitution of the United States.

Second, in many communities where walkouts occurred last week, postal employees are returning to their jobs.

However, in several large cities, the post offices are shut down. In New York, for example, the mail system is wholly paralyzed by illegal walkouts and essential services have been halted.

Last Saturday, I pledged to the Nation that if the current situation existed on Monday--today--that I would take action to fulfill my constitutional obligation to move the mails and I am taking that action now.

Injunctions have been sought, and in most cases already granted, forbidding striking postal workers from interfering with those who wish to return to work.

I directed the Attorney General to take whatever action he believes necessary to see that these court orders are obeyed and, working with local authorities, to see that no illegal picket lines interfere with workers returning to work.

Secondly, I have just now directed the activation of the men of the various military organizations to begin in New York City the restoration of essential mail services. New York City is where the current illegal stoppages began; it is where the mail has been halted the longest; and it is where the resultant problems have become most acute. If the Postmaster General deems it necessary to act in other affected major cities, I will not hesitate to act.

These replacements are being sent in as a supplemental work force to maintain essential services. Only as many workers as are necessary to accomplish that will be used and they will be withdrawn as the striking postal workers return to their jobs.

Let me now address my comments to both the postal workers who have stayed on the job and those who are engaging in the work stoppage.

The United States postal system is a vital element of our entire communications system. The poor depend heavily upon it for medical services and also for government assistance. Veterans depend upon it for their compensation checks. The elderly depend upon it for their social security checks. The Nation's businesses depend upon it as a way to stay in business so they can meet their payrolls. And our men in Vietnam depend on "mail call" as their only link with their loved ones at home.

From the time I came to Congress 23 years ago, I have recognized that the hundreds of thousands of fine Americans in the mail service--the Post Office Department--are underpaid and they have other legitimate grievances.

For the past year, almost since the day we took office, both the Postmaster General and I have been working to alleviate not only the legitimate grievances of postal workers but to move to eliminate the source of those grievances, that is, the obsolete postal system itself, a system that no longer serves its employees, its customers, or the country as it should.

That was why that among our first major legislative proposals was wholesale reform of the United States Post Office. Included have been requests for increased pay for postal workers, for increased benefits, for compression by 60 percent of the time it takes a worker to move from the bottom to the top of the pay scale.

I believe that if that postal reform had become law we wouldn't have the current crisis. But that crisis is here and it has brought additional grievances to the fore. The country has recognized these inequities in postal pay and benefits.

This administration has always been willing to work them out. As the Secretary of Labor and postal union leaders indicated again Saturday, we stand ready to begin negotiations, discussions on all issues, including pay, immediately after postal workers are back on their jobs. But we cannot and we will not negotiate while thousands of postal workers are participating in an illegal work stoppage.

At this time, it is only those who have struck and are staying off the job who are preventing meaningful negotiations and resolution of their problems through those negotiations and the legislative process.

And so I urge you to return to your jobs so that these negotiations can begin in an urgent but reasonable climate.

Just as this issue goes beyond the question of mail service, so my remarks at this time are addressed to all Americans. What has occurred here is that some employees of the Federal Government are now not only going against the best interests and the best tradition of their service, but against the recommendations of their national union leaders, against the oath of office that they took, against orders handed down by the Federal courts, and they are cutting off service essential to thousands--millions--of Americans.

What is at issue then is the survival of a government based upon law. Essential services must be maintained and, as President, I shall meet my constitutional responsibility to see that those services are maintained.

And I am asking for the understanding and support of every American in this decision that I have made in behalf of our country.