[Postal Workers’ Washington DC Protest]

In this footage, JoAnn Elam follows postal workers during the protest that their unions organized in Washington DC around 1978. Elam also films a parade with a marching band at night, which probably occurred then as well. This film appears to contain footage edited out (and vice versa) of ” [Postal Workers’ Washington DC Protest] ” (F.2011-01-0170).;The 1970s were a period of great agitation for the United States Postal Service and their employees, who fought for better wages, work conditions, and health benefits by organizing strikes and protests throughout the country. JoAnn Elam worked as a letter carrier in Chicago at the time and this footage testifies to her involvement in the postal workers’ labor movement. Elam also collected a large number of print material related to postal workers, from articles about their difficult work conditions during Chicago’s harsh winters and their negotiations with the administration to documents about the history of the American post office and comic strips featuring letter carriers interacting with the people they serve. Before her death, Elam had also spent several decades working on an unfinished film devoted to letter carriers and titled Everyday People (1979-1990).