The Pullman Palace Car Company was established by George Pullman in 1867. After the civil war the Pullman Company was the largest employer of African Americans, hiring hard working, formerly enslaved people at cheap wages to achieve the high-quality customer service the Pullman cars were known for.
Sleeping car porters shined shoes, made up the beds, woke passengers, and provided other services to ensure a comfortable trip. African Americans were not allowed to fill higher paying and better regarded jobs such as conductors.
The porters endured poor working conditions; working long hours for little pay which was meant to be supplemented by tips. They were expected to pay for their uniforms, meals, and sleeping quarters while traveling. Porters were dehumanized, sometimes called racial slurs, "boy," or "George," which referred to porters as the property of George Pullman.
In 1925, the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters and Maids (BSCP) was the first labor organization led by African Americans to receive a charter in the American Federation of Labor (AFL). Organized and co-founded by A. Philip Randolph and a group of dedicated porters, the BSCP fought tirelessly for the rights and dignity of its members, who endured harsh working conditions and discrimination. Porters were expected to be invisible while at the 24– hour beck and call of first-class passengers. They did everything from shining shoes to carrying baggage to making beds. In some cases, they were even forced to sing and dance by condescending customers.
The union's formation marked a significant step towards the advancement of labor, civil rights and equity for African Americans. The BSCP gathered a membership of 18,000 passenger railway workers across Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
While the job of a porter may have been viewed by some as menial, the porter's work ethic, perseverance and self-discipline provided the foundation of the Black middle class. Their descendants were African American professionals including doctors, lawyers, engineers, businessmen and women, and public servants. The leaders of the BSCP became leaders of the civil rights movement.
With a decline in rail travel, the BSCP merged in 1978 with the Brotherhood of Railway and Airline Clerks (BRAC). Now known as the Transportation Communications Union with 46,000 members.