Union administration

Convention history

Convention history

National biennial conventions

NALC’s national convention is the union’s supreme governing body. The convention meets every two years and elected delegates from every branch across the country are eligible to attend.

At the convention, delegates elected by their local branch consider constitutional amendments, discuss key issues in standing committees, and set national policy for NALC. Delegates also have the opportunity to attend many educational breakfast meetings, workshops, and seminars that are run every day before and after the daily general business sessions. In addition, delegates to every other convention nominate national officers for election.

History

Ever since its founding meeting held in Milwaukee in late August of 1889, NALC members have met in a national convention to set the policy and direction of the national union, to discuss political measures that affect letter carriers and their families and to find solutions for problems they face during the course of their working day.

Annual conventions were held every year from 1889 until 1903. Then the union started holding biennial conventions which have continued to the present day, with the exception of skipping one year during World War II. A list of the previous conventions is below.

The 1996 Orlando convention gave the NALC Executive Council the power to select convention sites but to continue the system set out in the NALC Constitution of choosing cities on a rotating regional basis. The idea is to give the union greater leverage in negotiating with hotels and convention facilities by being able to select a site several years in advance.

The council vote follows a report from the national secretary-treasurer of the findings of the Convention Site Committee on information on cities considered as possible sites.

Past national conventions

Organized in Milwaukee in 1889.

Number

City

Year

NALC President

1st Boston 1890 W.H. Wood
2nd Detroit 1891 John Goodwin
3rd Indianapolis 1892 Theodore C. Dennis
4th Kansas City, Missouri 1893 Frank E. Smith
5th Cleveland 1894 C.C. Couden
6th Philadelphia 1895 R.F. Quinn
7th Grand Rapids, Michigan 1896 John N. Parsons
8th San Francisco 1897 John N. Parsons
9th Toledo 1898 John N. Parsons
10th Scranton, Pennsylvania 1899 John N. Parsons
11th Detroit 1900 John N. Parsons
12th Chattanooga, Tennessee 1901 James C. Keller
13th Denver 1902 James C. Keller
14th Syracuse, New York 1903 James C. Keller
15th Portland, Oregon 1905 J.D. Holland
16th Canton, Ohio 1907 William E. Kelly
17th St. Paul, Minnesota 1909 William E. Kelly
18th Rochester, New York 1911 William E. Kelly
19th San Francisco 1913 William E. Kelly
20th Omaha 1915 Edward J. Gainor
21st Dallas 1917 Edward J. Gainor
22nd Philadelphia 1919 Edward J. Gainor
23rd St. Louis 1921 Edward J. Gainor
24th Providence, Rhode Island 1923 Edward J. Gainor
25th Detroit 1925 Edward J. Gainor
26th El Paso, Texas 1927 Edward J. Gainor
27th Minneapolis 1929 Edward J. Gainor
28th Oakland, California 1931 Edward J. Gainor
29th Atlantic City, New Jersey 1933 Edward J. Gainor
30th Cleveland 1935 Edward J. Gainor
31st Kansas City, Missouri 1937 Edward J. Gainor
32nd Milwaukee 1939 Edward J. Gainor
33rd Los Angeles 1941 William C. Doherty
34th Denver 1943 William C. Doherty
35th Detroit 1946 William C. Doherty
36th Miami 1948 William C. Doherty
37th Seattle 1950 William C. Doherty
38th New York 1952 William C. Doherty
39th Cleveland 1954 William C. Doherty
40th Minneapolis 1956 William C. Doherty
41st San Francisco 1958 William C. Doherty
42nd Cincinnati 1960 William C. Doherty
43rd Denver 1962 Jerome J. Keating
44th Miami Beach, Florida 1964 Jerome J. Keating
45th Detroit 1966 Jerome J. Keating
46th Boston 1968 James H. Rademacher
47th Honolulu 1970 James H. Rademacher
48th New Orleans 1972 James H. Rademacher
49th Seattle 1974 James H. Rademacher
50th Houston 1976 James H. Rademacher
51st Chicago 1978 J. Joseph Vacca
52nd Atlanta 1980 Vincent R. Sombrotto
53rd San Francisco 1982 Vincent R. Sombrotto
54th Las Vegas 1984 Vincent R. Sombrotto
55th St. Paul, Minnesota 1986 Vincent R. Sombrotto
56th Portland, Oregon 1988 Vincent R. Sombrotto
57th New Orleans 1990 Vincent R. Sombrotto
58th St. Louis 1992 Vincent R. Sombrotto
59th Atlantic City, New Jersey 1994 Vincent R. Sombrotto
60th Orlando, Florida 1996 Vincent R. Sombrotto
61st Las Vegas 1998 Vincent R. Sombrotto
62nd Chicago 2000 Vincent R. Sombrotto
63rd Philadelphia 2002 Vincent R. Sombrotto
64th Honolulu 2004 William H. Young
65th Las Vegas 2006 William H. Young
66th Boston 2008 William H. Young
67th Anaheim, California 2010 Fredric V. Rolando
68th Minneapolis 2012

Fredric V. Rolando

69th Philadelphia 2014

Fredric V. Rolando

70th

Los Angeles 2016

Fredric V. Rolando

71st

Detroit 2018

Fredric V. Rolando

72nd

Chicago 2022

Fredric V. Rolando