Skip to main content

American Postal Workers Union, AFL-CIO (Atlanta, Ga.) records

 Collection
Identifier: L1980-34

Scope and Content of the Records

The records of the American Postal Workers Union, 1966-1979, consist primarily of the administrative and office files of General President Wallace Baldwin, Jr., including correspondence, reports, minutes, constitutions and bylaws, contract negotiations, training materials, arbitration and grievances, newspaper clips, administrative files, and other printed materials. The bulk of the correspondence is between General President Wallace Baldwin, Jr. and union members, the AFL-CIO, other administrative officers, and affiliated organizations. A portion of the correspondence pertains to Baldwin's community involvement, including civil rights advocacy, volunteer projects, and labor education programs. Any documents prior to the 1971 merger relate to matters of Local 32 of the United Federation of Postal Clerks, AFL-CIO. Arbitration and grievance materials are restricted.

Materials from earlier accession L1979-38, 1940-1978, incorporated into this collection, contains resolutions, minutes, convention proceedings of Georgia Federation of Post Office Clerks, charter and charter application, biographical questionnaire, postal worker history, and pamphlets.

Dates

  • Creation: 1966-1979

Creator

Restrictions on Access

Collection is open for research use. Access to materials with personal or sensitive information has been restricted. Please consult with archivist for more information about accessing these records.

Terms Governing Use and Reproduction

Georgia State University is the owner of the physical collection and makes reproductions available for research, subject to the copyright law of the United States and item condition. Georgia State University may or may not own the rights to materials in the collection. It is the researcher's responsibility to verify copyright ownership and obtain permission from the copyright holder before publication, reproduction, or display of the materials beyond what is reasonable under copyright law. Researchers may quote selections from the collection under the fair use provision of copyright law.

Collection is stored offsite. Allow at least 2 working days for retrieval.

History of American Postal Workers Union, AFL-CIO, Atlanta, Georgia

The American Postal Workers Union, AFL-CIO, was founded in 1971 and is today the world's largest union for the United States Postal Service employees. The United Federation of Postal Clerks, AFL-CIO, Local 32 (Atlanta, Ga.) became the Atlanta, Georgia Local of the American Postal Workers Union, AFL-CIO, after merging in 1971 with the National Association of Post Office and General Services Maintenance Employees, Local 157; the National Association of Special Delivery Messengers, Local 48; and the National Federation of Post Office Motor Vehicle Employees, Local 76.

The American Postal Workers Union, AFL-CIO, is divided into the following crafts with officers appointed within each: clerk, special delivery messenger, motor vehicle service, and maintenance. General officers were also appointed to oversee administrative matters within the union.

Wallace Baldwin Jr. served two terms as president of Local 32 in the 1960s and became General President after the merger. Baldwin held great influence over the union, with Local 32 growing from only 300 members into the largest local in the Atlanta region by the completion of his second term. In addition to overseeing the daily functioning of the office, Baldwin worked closely with the Civil Rights movement and also helped start a labor education program for union members at Georgia State University. The American Postal Workers Union remains active to this day, representing more than 220,000 postal employees in every state and continuing to advocate for economic justice and fair labor practices.

Extent

15 Linear Feet (in 12 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract:

Local 32 of the United Federation of Postal Clerks merged into the American Postal Workers Union, AFL-CIO, Atlanta, Georgia in 1971. The records consist primarily of the administrative and office files of General President Wallace Baldwin, Jr., including correspondence, reports, minutes, constitutions and by-laws, contract negotiations, training materials, arbitration and grievances, newspaper clips, administrative files, and other printed materials.

Off Site Storage

Collection is stored offsite. Allow at least 2 working days for retrieval.

Acquisition Information

Donated by American Postal Workers Union members Walter C. Rucker in 1974 [L1974-47] and Wallace Baldwin, Jr. in 1979 and 1980 [L1979-38, L1980-34].

Separated Materials

During processing, printed materials were separated to other Southern Labor Archive collections. For periodicals, see the Southern Labor Archives Periodicals Collection finding aid or catalog.

Separated to Southern Labor Archives Periodicals Collection

  1. A I Labor Letter (American Income Life Insurance Company); February-July 1973
  2. The Alabama Flash (APWU, AFL-CIO), December 1976
  3. The Alliance Bulletin (National Alliance of Postal & Federal Employees), 1968-1972
  4. American Postal Worker Union News Service (APWU, AFL-CIO), 1971-1979
  5. 32 Report (United Federation of Postal Clerks, Local 32, Atlanta, Georgia), 1968-1971
  6. Atlanta Metro Report (Atlanta, Georgia Local APWU, AFL-CIO), 1971-1974
  7. Atlanta-APWU Flash, June-August 1973
  8. The Atlanta Postmark, 1969-1972
  9. California, American Postal Workers Union, AFL-CIO periodicals, January-July 1977
  10. The Community (AFL-CIO Department of Community Services), 1975-1978
  11. D.C. Dispatch (APWU, AFL-CIO), 1977
  12. DMI News (Des Moines, Iowa Local APWU, AFL-CIO), 1977
  13. Federation News Service (United Federation of Postal Clerks, AFL-CIO), 1966-1971
  14. The Final Tie-Out (Wausau, Wisconsin Area Local, APWU, AFL-CIO), 1976-1977
  15. Florida, American Postal Workers Union, AFL-CIO periodicals, October 1976-July 1977
  16. Georgia, American Postal Workers Union, AFL-CIO periodicals; December 1976-July 1977
  17. Georgia Mail Bag (Georgia Federation of Postal Clerks), 1964-1977
  18. Illinois, American Postal Workers Union, AFL-CIO periodicals, April-May 1977
  19. Indy Info (Indianapolis, Indiana Local APWU, AFL-CIO), 1977
  20. The Jayhawk Fed (Kansas Postal Workers Union, APWU, AFL-CIO), 1977
  21. The Journal of Labor (Georgia State AFL-CIO), 1971-1976
  22. AFL-CIO Memo...Labor Law Reform (AFL-CIO Task Force on Labor Law Reform), 1978
  23. The Local Bulletin (Fayetteville, Arkansas APWU, AFL-CIO), 1977
  24. Local Items (Little Rock Local APWU, AFL-CIO), 1976-1977
  25. Lynn Postal Workers Dispatch (Lynn, APWU, AFL-CIO), 1976
  26. The Mailhandler (National Post Office Mail Handlers, Division of the Laborers International Union of North America, AFL-CIO), 1971-1972
  27. The Mail Handlers News Bulletin (Laborers International Union of North America, AFL-CIO), January-August 1972
  28. Miami Postal Labor News (Miami, Florida Area Local APWU, AFL-CIO), 1976-1977
  29. Michigan, American Postal Workers Union, AFL-CIO periodicals, November 1976-June 1977
  30. The Mid-West Torch (APWU, AFL-CIO), April 1977
  31. Minnesota, American Postal Workers Union, AFL-CIO periodicals, April-July 1977
  32. The Mountaineer (Kansas City, Missouri Local APWU, AFL-CIO), April 1977
  33. National Alliance (National Alliance of Postal & Federal Employees), October-November 1970
  34. National Association of Letter Carriers Bulletin, 1971-1972
  35. Nebraska, American Postal Workers Union, AFL-CIO periodicals, April-May 1977
  36. New Jersey, American Postal Workers Union, AFL-CIO periodicals, April-June 1977
  37. Newscaster (San Fernando Valley Area Local, APWU, AFL-CIO), February-April 1977
  38. Ohio, American Postal Workers Union, AFL-CIO periodicals, January-May 1977
  39. Oklahoma Postal Worker (Oklahoma Postal Workers Union, AFL-CIO), March 1977
  40. Pennsylvania, American Postal Workers Union, AFL-CIO periodicals, March-April 1977
  41. The Pittsburgh Record (Pittsburgh Metro Area, APWU, AFL-CIO), 1976-1977
  42. Postal Bulletin (Post Office Department, Washington, D.C.), 1964-1969
  43. Postal Life Magazine (United States Postal Service), 1970-1977
  44. The Postal Worker (Caribbean Area Local, APWU, AFL-CIO), 1977
  45. PPA Newsletter (APWU Postal Press Association), May-June 1977
  46. Regional Bulletin (Atlanta Region, United States Postal Service), 1966-1971
  47. The South Carolina Postal Labor News (APWU, AFL-CIO), 1977
  48. Southern Region Coordinator's Report (APWU, AFL-CIO), 1973
  49. Southern Regional Bulletin (United States Postal Service), 1971-1972
  50. The Southerner (Southern Region, USPS, Memphis, Tennessee), 1971-1973
  51. Texas, American Postal Workers Union, AFL-CIO periodicals, March 1977
  52. The Union Call (Hartford, Connecticut, APWU, AFL-CIO), March 1977
  53. The Union Dispatch (Prince George's Area Local, APWU, AFL-CIO), 1977
  54. The Union Mail (N.Y. Metro Area, APWU, AFL-CIO), 1976-1977
  55. Washington, American Postal Workers Union, AFL-CIO periodicals, April-May 1977
  56. Washington D.C., American Postal Workers Union, AFL-CIO periodicals, 1969, 1974, 1977

Processing Information

Processed by Crystal Rodgers at the box level, September 2011. Electronic finding aid created by Crystal Rodgers, September 2011.

Related Names

Subject

Subjects

Record Groups

Finding Aid & Administrative Information

Title
American Postal Workers Union, AFL-CIO (Atlanta, Ga.):
Subtitle
A Guide to Its Records at Georgia State University Library
Status
Completed
Author
Crystal Rodgers
Date
September 2011
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Repository Details

Part of the Special Collections Repository

https://library.gsu.edu/special-collections/
Contact:
100 Decatur St., S.E.
Atlanta, Georgia 30303
404-413-2880
404-413-2881 (Fax)

Visit Georgia State University Library