If you read the October 1951 issue of the Seventy-Niner you probably noticed a cover story titled “Vancouver 14 Vindicated; NALC Gains Big Victory.” 

In the 1940’s a group of 14 Vancouver employees (10 city letter carriers and 4 supervisors) were indicted as a group for conspiracy to defraud the United States Government for the following:

     (1) Entering identical and collusive bids for motor vehicle contracts;
     (2) Denying the government the bene­fit of competitive bidding by discouraging and preventing outside bidders, and,
     (3) Sabotage of contract cars belong­ing to one Jacob Spady.

Simply put, the Postal Service began providing mounted delivery carriers with vehicles that were in less than good repair (no surprise there), and then charged those carriers when the vehicles broke down from delivery use. 

Our past president, Reuben Kremers, then our National Assistant Secretary, testified at the trial as to the history of carrier bidding. (Notably, NAPS was not present to speak on behalf of their members. Not surprising.) 

All 14 were acquitted of the charges. While no Branch 79 member faced similar charges, it does detail NALC success as a whole defending our Union siblings to the south from frivolous charges. 

Click below to read the October 1951 Senate Congressional Record. It goes into every detail of the charges, the trial, the testimony, and more, BEGINNING ON PAGE 38.