March 18, 1970 - The Great Postal Strike began in New York City. It was the first mass work stoppage in the 195-year history of the Post Office. The walkout was illegal; President Richard Nixon sent in federal troops to sort the mail. But the strike succeeded in forcing Congress to raise wages and reorganize the postal system and marked a new militancy among postal employees.

For more information
Visit the American Postal Workers Union website, http://www.apwu.org/about/history.htm and the National Association of Letter Carriers website, http://www.nalc.org/nalc/facthist/index.html