Drew Von Bergen, 77, a former United Press International reporter and editor who later became a senatorial press secretary and the public-relations director of the National Association of Letter Carriers, died Dec. 18 at a rehabilitation center in Gainesville, Va.
A strong union activist, Von Bergen was a national officer of the Wire Service Guild and was chairman of the Guild’s negotiating team that authorized the first strike in the UPI’s 67-year history. The strike lasted 23 days and resulted in a two-year contract carrying pay raises of nearly 6 percent in each year. During his tenure with the NALC, he helped launch the annual “Stamp Out Hunger” campaign when, on the second Saturday in May, letter carriers in more than 10,000 cities and towns collect food for the needy. Read more here.
A strong union activist, Von Bergen was a national officer of the Wire Service Guild and was chairman of the Guild’s negotiating team that authorized the first strike in the UPI’s 67-year history. The strike lasted 23 days and resulted in a two-year contract carrying pay raises of nearly 6 percent in each year. During his tenure with the NALC, he helped launch the annual “Stamp Out Hunger” campaign when, on the second Saturday in May, letter carriers in more than 10,000 cities and towns collect food for the needy. Read more here.