15 Ironies of the Lives of Pullman Porters

The Pullman Porters were the black men, initially formerly enslaved persons, who worked in servant positions at the Pullman Palace Car Company. Read more about them and their challenges in my book review on A Long Hard Journey: The Story of the Pullman Porter – Patricia and Fredrick McKissack.

1. Many were smiling on the outside while crying on the inside.
2. They were most visible to the public but most ignored by management.
3. Pullman porters worked harder and more hours than other employees at 400 hours per month and were paid the least at $75 per month with no benefits.
4. The Pullman Company enforced a policy that the customer was always right. Because the porters did not have management support, they were almost always dismissed immediately if a customer reported them, even if it was false. .
5. The early porters were formerly enslaved people so Pullman figured that a little pay was better than no pay.
6. Many porters were highly educated individuals working in servant positions because of the pay and prestige of being a railroad worker.
7. Porters were highly regarded in their communities and by some customers, but were disrespected and treated like dirt by management.
8. Many men were afraid to attempt to unionize, which would have ensured better wages and working conditions, because they would have lost their jobs immediately.
9. A black union representing black employees was an irony in itself. In fact, any organization that willing represented black people for non-economic reasons was ironic.
10. The porters, a group of black servant workers, fought Pullman Company, a powerful company that had a monopoly on sleeping cars.
11. The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters was the only union that looked out for black workers but black employees were not totally supportive of this organization.
12. The black porters that worked for the Pullman Company could not live in the Pullman community.
13. Porters were in a lose-lose situation. They could not afford the low wages they were receiving but they could not afford to leave.
14. Some riders disregarded the porters’ feelings and “crushed their manhood” despite the respect they received.
15. Despite their trials and tribulations, they continued to work with pride.

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

What are some ironies of the lives of the Pullman Porters that are not mentioned here?