“Fight or Be Slaves” – the secret meeting that built America’s first Black labor union

A. Philip Randolph’s Twelve-Year Battle Against Pullman

On August 25, 1925, five hundred Pullman porters met in secret at a Harlem lodge with a bold motto: “Fight or Be Slaves. ” They picked A. Philip Randolph, a man the Pullman Company couldn’t fire, to lead them.

These Black railway workers toiled 400 hours monthly for just $72.50 plus tips, while paying for their own food and uniforms. The company fought back hard.

Yet after a twelve-year battle, the Brotherhood won. Their 1937 contract with Pullman cut work hours almost in half and raised wages.

Today, Chicago’s Historic Pullman District stands as a monument to this first successful Black labor union in America.

Porters Got Called "George" No Matter Their Real Name

Porters worked tough 400-hour months or traveled 11,000 miles to earn their full $72. 50 base pay in the 1920s.

They spent their own money on food, lodging, uniforms, and shoe polish. They worked about 10 percent of their time for free getting trains ready.

Most porters needed tips since their base pay wasn’t enough to live on.

Passengers called every porter “George” no matter what their real name was, showing their low status and link to George Pullman, the company owner.

Five Hundred Workers Met in Secret at Harlem’s Elks Lodge

On August 25, 1925, 500 brave Pullman porters met secretly at the Elks Lodge on 129th Street in Harlem. They started the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters with the motto: “Fight or Be Slaves.”

The porters picked A. Philip Randolph as their leader because he worked as a socialist writer, not a porter, so the Pullman Company couldn’t fire him.

Randolph ran The Messenger magazine and knew how to organize workers. Ashley Totten, a key organizer, asked Randolph to lead their fight.

Company Spies Infiltrated Union Meetings to Report on Troublemakers

The Pullman Company fought hard against the union. They hired spies to sneak into meetings and report which workers spoke up.

They fired anyone caught supporting the union and scared others to stay in line.

Pullman created its own company union called the Employee Representation Plan to compete with the BSCP. Many Black leaders and newspapers at first opposed the union too, seeing Pullman as an important Black employer.

Porters faced a tough choice: stand up for their rights or keep their jobs.

Congress Passed a Law That Gave Railroad Workers Hope

The Railway Labor Act passed in May 1926 made companies settle fights through talks. The law set up a system where labor and management had to work with a Board of Mediation watching them.

BSCP leaders hoped this new law would force Pullman to accept their union.

Their hopes crashed when the National Mediation Board refused to help Black railroad workers like they helped white ones. The Pullman Company claimed 85 percent of porters backed their in-house union instead of the BSCP.

Workers Voted to Strike But Their Leader Called It Off

The BSCP saw a strike as their only option to make Pullman talk fairly. They voted with huge support: 6,053 porters voted to strike with only 17 against.

The night before the walkout, Randolph talked with American Federation of Labor president William Green and called off the strike. This last-minute change crushed members who felt let down.

A year earlier, the Interstate Commerce Commission had ruled they couldn’t control porter wages and working conditions, closing another path to fair treatment.

Membership Dropped to Just 658 During the Depression Years

BSCP membership fell from 7,300 in 1927 to only 658 by 1933. The union office lost phone and power because they couldn’t pay their bills.

The Great Depression meant fewer train travelers, fewer porter jobs, and smaller tips. Many people said the BSCP had died during these hard times.

Porters called 1929 to 1933 the “dark days” as the union barely survived the money crisis.

Roosevelt’s New Deal Breathed Life Back Into the Struggling Union

Franklin Roosevelt’s National Industrial Recovery Act of 1933 made the Railway Labor Act stronger. The Emergency Railroad Transportation Act that same year banned company unions like Pullman’s.

The Amended Railway Labor Act of 1934 gave railroad workers the right to join unions they chose themselves. These new laws put the National Mediation Board on the side of unions during votes.

The Pullman Company tried to adapt by changing its company union to the Pullman Porters and Maids Protective Association.

Porters Voted Eight-to-One for Their Union in a Landslide Victory

The BSCP asked the National Mediation Board to make them the official voice of porters. A national vote happened in May and June of 1935 where porters could pick their union.

The BSCP won big: 8,316 votes to just 1,422 for the company-backed choice. On June 1, 1935, the National Mediation Board made the BSCP the official voice of Pullman porters.

This win came after ten long years of fighting against fierce company pushback.

Labor Federation Finally Welcomed Black Workers After Years of Exclusion

The American Federation of Labor gave the BSCP an international charter in 1935, making them the first Black union to get this status.

Before this, the AFL had only given smaller federal charters to BSCP local groups since 1929. Randolph had fought racism within the AFL since going to their 1932 meeting.

The international charter gave the union respect and a platform to speak for all Black workers, not just porters.

Negotiators Faced Two Years of Company Stalling Tactics

After winning official status, the BSCP and Pullman Company started talks in 1935 but kept hitting walls. The company still used spies during this time to report on union meetings.

By April 1937, the BSCP needed help and asked the National Mediation Board to step in. The talks stayed tense as company officials moved slowly and fought union demands.

Porters had waited 12 long years since starting their union for a fair deal with the Pullman Company.

Porters Won a 240-Hour Work Month After Twelve Years of Fighting

The Pullman Company signed a contract with the BSCP on April 25, 1937, the first agreement between a major American corporation and a Black workers’ union.

The contract took effect in October 1937 and brought major improvements to porters’ lives. Work hours dropped from 400 to 240 hours monthly, with overtime pay for anything over 260 hours.

Porters received the biggest wage increase the company had ever given.

The contract also guaranteed pay for preparatory time, terminal time, and reasonable rest periods during trips, ending years of unpaid work.

Visiting Historic Pullman District, Chicago, Illinois

You can explore the birthplace of America’s first successful Black labor union at the Historic Pullman District.

The A. Philip Randolph Pullman Porter Museum at 10406 S. Maryland Ave. is temporarily closed until Spring 2026 for expansion.

Meanwhile, visit the Pullman National Historical Park Visitor Center at 610 E. 111th Street, open Wednesday-Sunday 10AM-4PM with free daily walking tours at 1PM. The Historic Pullman Foundation Exhibit Hall is also open Thursday-Sunday 11AM-3PM.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

Read more from this brand:

• The Great Chicago Fire had two unsung heroes – and almost no one remembers them
• Lincoln’s law partner called it reckless – the speech that shook Springfield’s Old State Capitol in 1858
• The Chicago body snatchers who tried to steal Lincoln’s corpse in 1876