Women organized the Auxiliary
Interested in letter carrier issues, female relatives sought to assist carriers and their families
The National Ladies’ Auxiliary—forerunner of today's NALC Auxiliary—was established by a group of women interested in letter carrier issues because of their relationships as the wives, daughters, mothers and sisters of letter carriers. Women in carrier families had already formed local associations in various parts of the country, but the difficult years of 1902-1905 inspired a more unified national effort.
The effort took concrete shape in 1905. The NALC’s fifth national convention, to be held in Portland, OR, was imminent. A group of women from the Ladies’ Auxiliary of Branch 82 in Portland decided to use this opportunity to invite letter carriers' wives, mothers, sisters, and daughters to meet for the purpose of organizing a national Auxiliary.
Seventy-two women from 52 cities in 26 states responded to the organizing call and, paying their own expenses to the convention, founded the National Ladies’ Auxiliary on Sept. 5, 1905. Nellie Heffelfinger, a member of Branch 24’s Auxiliary in Los Angeles, CA, was unanimously elected the first president. Four days later, the NALC formally recognized its new partner.
In her first official report to the membership, president Heffelfinger stated the objects of the new organization as:
- First, to bring together in a social way the wives, daughters, mothers and sisters of carriers.
- Second, to aid wherever possible the carriers, both socially and financially.
- Third, to minister to the sick and in case of death lend a helping hand to the bereaved.
- Fourth, in future to be able to carry insurance in the Mutual Benefit Association at a reasonable rate.
She ended her statement with this command: “Then let us be up and doing!”
And they were, in fact, “up and doing.” During the early part of the 20th century, letter carriers were bound by a “gag rule” imposed by President Theodore Roosevelt, which jeopardized a carrier's job for even speaking to a congressman.
Even though women would not gain the right to vote for 20 years after the Letter Carriers Auxiliary was born, the old saying, “the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world,” proved to have clout. The collective voice of the women of the Auxiliary was heard in Washington. Together, the National Association of Letter Carriers and its Auxiliary have, throughout the years, brought about much needed change.
During the 1940s, the Auxiliary membership numbered more than 26,000, and one of the Auxiliary’s main goals was getting substitutes enough hours of work to make a living. Toward this end, Auxiliary members wrote letters to first lady Eleanor Roosevelt, explaining the plight of these carriers, who would show up at the post office each day without any guarantee of work, hoping to have enough hours available to feed their families. Mrs. Roosevelt summoned the president of the Auxiliary to her office for discussion about these conditions.
Today, with letter carriers gaining benefits through contract negotiation and arbitration, some think that Auxiliary membership is not necessary. On the contrary, many benefits must be achieved through the action of Congress. The Auxiliary is instrumental in this process, as well as in helping repel the ever-present specter of privatization, which some members of Congress mistakenly think would be beneficial.
The Auxiliary also works together with the NALC in its endeavor to generate and collect funds for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
The Auxiliary consists of Auxiliary locals affiliated with NALC local branches. Any letter carrier family member or significant other over the age of 16, or any retired NALC member, can become a member of the NALC Auxiliary.
