Americans whose July 4 travels were made night- marish by the air traffic controllers’ slowdown now stand to be further victimized by those who once served them when half a million postal workers walk off the job on July 20. Postal union officials here now say that a strike is nearly unavoidable. They are asking for a 12 per cent pay hike over the next two years, which, along with a cost of living escalator clause, would bring the average postal worker’s annual salary to approximately $20,000. But President Carter is adamantly insisting that they observe his 5.5 per cent limit on wage increases, and no one in the Administration expects him to compromise. It is this unwillingness to bend, plus the unions’ contention that under the Postal Reorganization Act of 1970 the President has no right to intervene in talks, that has strengthened the resolve of union leaders to walk out. The situation seems set in concrete. The unions are adamant and so is Carter, whose advisors see this as the first major test of his campaign to hold down wage increases.
If the strike does take place, it could be a long one. The postal workers have the backing of George Meany, who vehemently opposes Carter’s 5.5 per cent limit and who can be expected to contribute AFL-CIO funds to the strikers’ war chest. Also, union leaders believe that if the strike were to extend into the 1978 congressional campaign season, the pressure would be intense on Carter from members of his own party to end it quickly, on the best terms available, and damn any arbitrary percentage. Few believe he will do so, however. A strike might well put Carter somewhere between a rock and a hard place. But there is an alternative that is increasingly discussed here. The cost of living shows no sign of leveling off, and the inflationary spiral continues. Combine this with the growing national sense of outrage over victimization by public and semi-public servants, and many Washington observers believe that Carter would have overwhelming support for the imposition of wage and price controls. The feeling is that if the postal workers walk out, their exit may shortly be followed by the entry of mandatory controls.
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