The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) and the Transportation Communications Union (TCU/IAM) are marking the 100th anniversary of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters (BSCP), which was the first labor union led by African Americans to join the American Federation of Labor (AFL).
On August 25, 1925, Pullman porters at the Pullman Company enlisted civil rights leader and labor organizer A. Philip Randolph to help them organize a union focused on achieving dignity, fair wages, and justice. The struggle for recognition lasted ten years in the face of opposition from the company, resulting in official recognition of the BSCP in 1935.
“The Sleeping Car Porters proved that solidarity can overcome even the most powerful corporate opposition and deep-seated injustice,” said IAM Union International President Brian Bryant. “This anniversary is a celebration of the past and a reminder of the work ahead. Their story continues to inspire the IAM and TCU/IAM as we fight for fairness and dignity for every worker.”
The success of BSCP was significant not only as a labor achievement but also as an early milestone in the civil rights movement. It was recognized as the first major black union in the United States and became the first to receive an international charter from the AFL.
“When the BSCP merged with our Union, they brought an extraordinary legacy of courage and resilience,” said TCU/IAM National President Artie Maratea. “That proud history is alive today in the men and women working onboard trains across the country. The Sleeping Car Porters and the legacy of A. Philip Randolph and his belief in organized labor are a celebrated source of pride that TCU/IAM will continue to uphold.”
In a 1973 interview with The Washington Post, A. Philip Randolph reflected on his experience during difficult negotiations with Pullman Company management: “I don’t ever remember a single day of hopelessness,” he said. “I knew from the history of the labor movement, and especially of the black people, that it was an undertaking of great trial . . . that, live or die, I had to stick with it and we had to win.”
In 1978, members of BSCP merged with BRAC (now TCU/IAM), forming what is now known as the Sleeping Car Porters System Division.
“The legacy of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters shows the link between the labor movement and the civil rights movement,” said Josh Hartford, special assistant to the IAM International President. “Their struggle for dignity on the job helped lay the foundation for greater justice in our society, and that fight continues today through the IAM Union Rail Division.”
