WASHINGTON, August 24, 2025 — The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) and the Transportation Communications Union (TCU/IAM) celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters (BSCP), the first labor union led by African Americans to join the American Federation of Labor (AFL).

WATCH: IAM Union and TCU/IAM commemorative video honoring the 100th anniversary of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters 

On August 25, 1925, Pullman porters at the Pullman Company turned to pioneering civil rights leader and labor organizer A. Philip Randolph, to help guide them in building a union to fight for dignity, fair wages, and justice. Despite fierce opposition from the Pullman Company, which sought to keep its workforce divided and subservient, the porters’ determination sparked a decade-long struggle that ended with 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 BSCP’s victory was more than a labor milestone. It became a cornerstone of the modern civil rights movement, inspiring generations of working people to demand equality in the workplace and society. It was the first major black union in the United States and the first to be granted an international charter by the American Federation of Labor (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.”

According to a 1973 Washington Post interview, when A. Philip Randolph was asked if he had ever become discouraged during the bleak years when he was trying to bring the Pullman Company to the bargaining table, Mr. Randolph avoided the word “discouraged.”

“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.

The Porters merged with BRAC (now TCU/IAM) in 1978, forming 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.” 

 

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