The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters (BSCP) was, in 1925, the first labor organization led by African Americans to receive a charter in the American Federation of Labor (AFL).
In the 1920s and 1930s the Pullman Company was one of the largest single employers of blacks and had created an image for itself of enlightened benevolence via financial support for black churches, newspapers and other organizations. It also paid many porters well enough to enjoy the advantages of a middle-class lifestyle and prominence within their own communities. Working for the Pullman Company was, however, less glamorous in practice than it appeared. Porters depended on tips for much of their income and thus on the generosity of white passengers who often referred to all porters as "George", the first name of George Pullman, the company's founder. Porters spent roughly ten percent of their time in unpaid "preparatory" and "terminal" set-up and clean-up duties, paid for their food, lodging, and uniforms, which could consume up to half of their wages, and were charged whenever their passengers stole a towel or a water pitcher. Porters could ride at half fare on their days off — but not on Pullman coaches. They were not promotable to conductor, a job reserved for whites despite frequently performing some of the conductor duties.
The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters was organized in August 1925. Facing long odds, the union attracted only a small number of rank and file workers and at no point before 1937 did it enroll a majority of porters. Most black leaders outside the organization distrusted labor unions and, moreover, viewed George Pullman, whose company provided jobs, relatively high incomes, as an important ally of the black community. Over the next twelve years, the BSCP fought a three-front battle against the Pullman Company, the American Federation of Labor, and the anti-union, pro-Pullman sentiments of the majority of the black community. Largely successful on each front, the BCSP became a significant institution in both the labor and civil rights history of the twentieth century.
A favorable turn in the political climate brought about by the New Deal, combined with the persistence of union leaders and members finally forced the company to recognize the BSCP in 1935. The AFL granted the BSCP an international charter that same year and, after protracted negotiations, the union won its first contract in 1937. In the process, the BSCP became both a vehicle and a symbol of black advancement and was largely responsible for breaking down racial segregation in the American labor movement.
BSCP membership eroded steadily in the 1950s and 1960s due to the overall decline of the railroad industry. In 1971, it experienced a brief resurgence with the rise of Amtrak, the government-sponsored railway passenger service. However, in 1974 Amtrak made a contract with a rival union, the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Union. The move was the final blow for the BSCP. In 1978 the BSCP merged with the Brotherhood of Railway Clerks, now known as the Transportation Communications International Union.
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