"National Alliance of Federal &Postal Employees"(1913)

Was formed in 1913 in response to the discrimination faced by early African-Americans postal employees.The organization is comprised of a union of people who served the nation as rank and file employees in the U.S. Federal and U.S. Postal Service.Their motto is unmistaken:Faithful Until Death,(or formally Ad Mortem Fidelis).In the early 1900's,nearly every railway mail clerk was African-American.The Job of a Railway mail clerk was hazardous on the track.By 1913,steel cars were made and the job became more competitive.White railway workers took over and used the Railway Mail Association for protection The Association excluded African-American from their membership.Therefore,the African-American clerks had no labor union or protection.On October 2, 1913.at the Foot of Lookout Mountain in Chattanooga,Tennessee,African-Americans mail clerks from across the country convened and formed the National Alliance of Postal Employees.It was the first industrial union in the United States open to everyone.The group immediately fought for fair practices within the railway mail system.Among their first motions was the elimination of the use of photographs for identification for civil service examinations.The current process left the hiring practices open for discrimination.The practice was finally changed 26 years later.The Alliance also took on women's rights shortly after World War II,insisting that they be given the same career benefits as other postal workers.The organization prides itself in being the creators of a Board of Appeals and Reviews for the U.S. Postal to address.The NAPE organization left a voter registration mark in the historical election in 1964,after the Civil Rights Act legislation.Under the Hatch Act,NAPE surpassed all federal unions is registration that year.In 1965,the National Alliance of Federal and Postal Employees expanded to include federal employees, changing the name to NAPE.With the success of the organization within the postal service industry,the Alliance symbolized strides by lighting and eternal flame at the foot of Lookout Mountain in October 1973,the place where it all began.The flame was to serve as a constant symbol of the alliance's permanency and heritage.The Alliance celebrated its 50th anniversary this year.