1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:01,920 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:07,680 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Greetings everyone, Welcome to This Day in History Class, 3 00:00:08,039 --> 00:00:11,520 Speaker 1: where we bring you a new tidbit from history every day. 4 00:00:13,800 --> 00:00:28,640 Speaker 1: Today is August. The day was August. The Brotherhood of 5 00:00:28,680 --> 00:00:32,159 Speaker 1: Sleeping Car Boarders, a labor union organized by the black 6 00:00:32,200 --> 00:00:37,880 Speaker 1: employees of the Pullman Company, had its first meeting. George 7 00:00:37,920 --> 00:00:42,040 Speaker 1: Mortimer Pullman founded the Pullman Company in eighteen sixty seven 8 00:00:42,520 --> 00:00:46,520 Speaker 1: during the reconstruction era, after the emancipation of enslaved black 9 00:00:46,560 --> 00:00:51,519 Speaker 1: people in the South. The Pullman Company manufactured railroad cars. 10 00:00:52,120 --> 00:00:55,160 Speaker 1: Pullman's big claim to fame was the sleeping car, or 11 00:00:55,640 --> 00:00:59,040 Speaker 1: passenger rail cars that have beds for travelers to make 12 00:00:59,080 --> 00:01:04,759 Speaker 1: overnight trips more comfortable railroad lines least Pullman cars, which 13 00:01:04,760 --> 00:01:07,959 Speaker 1: were really popular in the US from the mid eighteen 14 00:01:08,040 --> 00:01:12,720 Speaker 1: hundreds to the mid nineteen hundreds. The Pullman Company employed 15 00:01:12,840 --> 00:01:17,000 Speaker 1: black maids and porters, many of whom were formerly enslaved. 16 00:01:17,040 --> 00:01:21,000 Speaker 1: In the beginning of the company's history, Pullman knew that 17 00:01:21,080 --> 00:01:25,319 Speaker 1: many black people needed work badly and would take low wages. 18 00:01:26,600 --> 00:01:29,480 Speaker 1: The work that the porters did on Pullman cars is 19 00:01:29,520 --> 00:01:34,399 Speaker 1: what really made the experience top quality. Porters prepared beds 20 00:01:34,440 --> 00:01:37,800 Speaker 1: for passengers at night and made them up in the morning. 21 00:01:38,319 --> 00:01:41,880 Speaker 1: They served food and drinks to passengers, They cared for 22 00:01:41,959 --> 00:01:46,000 Speaker 1: passengers when they were sick, and they made sure passengers 23 00:01:46,040 --> 00:01:50,720 Speaker 1: were safe on their trips. Porters were respected in their communities, 24 00:01:51,200 --> 00:01:54,560 Speaker 1: they got to travel around the country, and after tips, 25 00:01:54,680 --> 00:01:57,120 Speaker 1: they were paid better than a lot of black people 26 00:01:57,200 --> 00:02:01,360 Speaker 1: and other professions, but they're hours were long and the 27 00:02:01,400 --> 00:02:04,840 Speaker 1: work was often thankless. They had to work four hundred 28 00:02:04,880 --> 00:02:08,120 Speaker 1: hours or travel eleven thousand miles in a month to 29 00:02:08,240 --> 00:02:12,160 Speaker 1: earn full pay, and they were still paid a lot 30 00:02:12,280 --> 00:02:15,840 Speaker 1: less than white people in other professions. At the Pullman Company, 31 00:02:16,960 --> 00:02:20,639 Speaker 1: porters did not have any job security, and they had 32 00:02:20,680 --> 00:02:24,720 Speaker 1: to pay for their own food, lodging, and uniforms. If 33 00:02:24,720 --> 00:02:28,240 Speaker 1: passengers took items from their cars, then their pay was stopped. 34 00:02:29,320 --> 00:02:31,520 Speaker 1: They did not get much sleep at night since they 35 00:02:31,520 --> 00:02:34,840 Speaker 1: worked such long days, and even when they did, they 36 00:02:34,840 --> 00:02:38,359 Speaker 1: had to sleep on couches in the smoking car, and 37 00:02:38,520 --> 00:02:42,360 Speaker 1: the conditions of their work maintained the master servant relationship 38 00:02:42,680 --> 00:02:46,720 Speaker 1: between black and white people that was perpetuated under slavery. 39 00:02:47,360 --> 00:02:51,200 Speaker 1: Porters were often called George, regardless of their real names, 40 00:02:51,560 --> 00:02:55,040 Speaker 1: presumably because of the old practice of plays being named 41 00:02:55,080 --> 00:02:58,680 Speaker 1: after their masters, and the Pullman founder's name was George. 42 00:03:00,040 --> 00:03:03,080 Speaker 1: Unhappy with these conditions and how they faced punishment if 43 00:03:03,080 --> 00:03:06,040 Speaker 1: they brought these issues up to the company, the porters 44 00:03:06,080 --> 00:03:10,040 Speaker 1: tried to organize. After a few attempts to unionize from 45 00:03:10,120 --> 00:03:13,880 Speaker 1: nineteen o nine to nineteen thirteen, the Pullman Company itself 46 00:03:13,960 --> 00:03:17,880 Speaker 1: decided to create the Pullman Porter's Benefit Association in nineteen fifteen. 47 00:03:19,040 --> 00:03:23,520 Speaker 1: Five years later, the company also established the Employee Representation Plan, 48 00:03:23,960 --> 00:03:28,560 Speaker 1: which was funded through employee salaries, but those initiatives did 49 00:03:28,600 --> 00:03:32,520 Speaker 1: not completely address the porter's issues, so a small group 50 00:03:32,600 --> 00:03:36,720 Speaker 1: of Pullman porters approached labor movement leader A. Philip Randolph 51 00:03:36,720 --> 00:03:40,680 Speaker 1: for help in starting a union. Randolph was reluctant to 52 00:03:40,680 --> 00:03:43,680 Speaker 1: help them initially, but he warmed up to the idea, 53 00:03:43,920 --> 00:03:47,440 Speaker 1: and the Brotherhood of Sleeping car Boarders had its first 54 00:03:47,440 --> 00:03:53,640 Speaker 1: meeting on August nineteen. The union published its first demands 55 00:03:53,720 --> 00:03:57,960 Speaker 1: in The Messenger, a magazine that Randolph founded. It called 56 00:03:58,000 --> 00:04:02,800 Speaker 1: for abolishing tipping, pay raises, pension increases, in better rest breaks. 57 00:04:03,920 --> 00:04:08,160 Speaker 1: The Pullman Company used various tactics to disrupt the union's efforts, 58 00:04:08,200 --> 00:04:12,960 Speaker 1: like using spies, firing porters, involved in the union, intimidating 59 00:04:13,000 --> 00:04:18,360 Speaker 1: people interested in joining, and putting propaganda and media. So 60 00:04:18,480 --> 00:04:22,680 Speaker 1: the union remained secretive, and the porters wives were instrumental 61 00:04:22,800 --> 00:04:27,240 Speaker 1: in keeping the union alive by fundraising and attending meetings 62 00:04:27,240 --> 00:04:30,920 Speaker 1: when porters could not be present. It took a while 63 00:04:31,000 --> 00:04:34,200 Speaker 1: for the union to gain traction, but in nineteen thirty seven, 64 00:04:34,560 --> 00:04:37,799 Speaker 1: two years after the National Relations Labor Act was enacted, 65 00:04:38,240 --> 00:04:41,680 Speaker 1: the Pullman Company signed a labor agreement with the Brotherhood. 66 00:04:42,279 --> 00:04:46,760 Speaker 1: The porter's minimum salary was increased and working conditions improved. 67 00:04:47,920 --> 00:04:51,039 Speaker 1: In nineteen forty seven, the Pullman Company let go of 68 00:04:51,080 --> 00:04:54,800 Speaker 1: the sleeping car business. As the railroad industry declined in 69 00:04:54,839 --> 00:04:58,960 Speaker 1: the nineteen fifties. In nineteen sixties, so did the number 70 00:04:59,000 --> 00:05:04,120 Speaker 1: of porters membership in the Brotherhood. Many porters were involved 71 00:05:04,160 --> 00:05:08,480 Speaker 1: in the Civil rights movement as well. In Night, the 72 00:05:08,600 --> 00:05:13,360 Speaker 1: Brotherhood merged with another union, the Brotherhood of Railway Airline 73 00:05:13,400 --> 00:05:19,440 Speaker 1: Steamship Clerks, freight Handlers, express and station Employees. I'm Eve 74 00:05:19,480 --> 00:05:21,960 Speaker 1: step Coote and hopefully you know a little more about 75 00:05:22,000 --> 00:05:25,840 Speaker 1: history today than you did yesterday. If you would like 76 00:05:25,880 --> 00:05:28,560 Speaker 1: to learn more about this topic, you can listen to 77 00:05:28,600 --> 00:05:32,000 Speaker 1: the episode of Stuff you missed in history class called 78 00:05:32,160 --> 00:05:35,560 Speaker 1: the Brotherhood of Sleeping car Porters. The link to that 79 00:05:35,600 --> 00:05:41,240 Speaker 1: episode is in the description. You can follow us on Twitter, Instagram, 80 00:05:41,240 --> 00:05:47,560 Speaker 1: and Facebook at t D i h C podcast. Thanks 81 00:05:47,600 --> 00:06:00,320 Speaker 1: again for listening and we will see you tomorrow. Yeah. 82 00:06:02,720 --> 00:06:04,760 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from My Heart Radio, visit the I 83 00:06:04,800 --> 00:06:07,440 Speaker 1: Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to 84 00:06:07,480 --> 00:06:08,279 Speaker 1: your favorite shows.