Book Review: A Long Hard Journey: The Story of the Pullman Porter

 

I really enjoyed reading A Long Hard Journey: The Story of the Pullman Porter by Patricia and Fredrick McKissack as it highlighted the lives and challenges of the Pullman Porters. These black men and women provided upscale service to the mostly white riders of the sleeping cars produced by the Pullman Palace Car Company.

The company was started by George Mortimer Pullman in Chicago, a talented cabinet maker who had a vision of a “hotel on wheels” where passengers experienced comfort and luxury. To make this happen, he hired formerly enslaved persons, newly released from bondage.

Although they were finally getting paid for their labor, their situations were probably a little better than slavery. They worked longer and harder than other employees; earned low wages; received few benefits; and received no support by management.

Just a bit about Mr. Pullman. He built a community after himself where he owned and controlled everything and everyone, including his employees. His employees had to live in his community and buy from his stores. Pullman is one of the 77 Chicago communities. The A. Philip Randolph Museum, the only museum dedicated to black labor movement, is also located in the community.

The Struggle for Unionization

Picture this: a black man fighting for civil and work place rights for black workers within 30 years after they were freed from slavery? Although they were physically free, some were still being treated like enslaved people, including the Pullman Porters.

Who was this black man who dared to fight for the rights of BLACK people? Asa Philip Randolph.

When he took on the challenge of attempting to organize the porters for the purpose of unionization, he thought the process would be similar to those of other unions. What he thought would be a three journey turned into 12 LONG HARD years.

The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters was launched on August 25, 1925. During this time, many laws were being enacted to regulate industries and unions were forming to protect workers. Unfortunately, black workers, including the porters, were excluded.

Pullman Company management did everything they could to keep them from organizing. While they were against their employees becoming union members, they really didn’t want these black employees in servant positions to have any workplace rights.

Randolph and his loyal few stayed committed to their mission despite the attacks on their finances, integrity and livelihoods. Their wives supported them by holding secret meetings because Pullman sent other black workers as spies on these meetings. Although black workers in service positions were not porters and could not join their union, they supported them financially.

Victory

In 1934, The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters became the first black labor union to organize in the world. This was a great, but short-lived victory.

Even though the Brotherhood was official, the Pullman Company refused to sit at the table and bargain with them. Company representatives put this off until the federal government enacted legislation ensuring ALL workers could be represented by the union of their choosing. They did all kinds of bullying and brainwashing.

Still, Team Randolph persisted. They had gotten this far in their fight; why stop now?

On August 25, 1937, exactly 12 years after launching the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, Randolph and his overly-committed crew became the first black union to sign a labor contract with a major corporation.

They went on to organize a few more industries, but this victory put them on the map and in the pages of history.

Image: zinnedproject.org