The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, Podcast Ep. 14
In the heyday of train travel, Black men were hired to cater to overnight travellers. Turned away by the major unions, they formed the Order of the Sleeping Car Porters, the first Black labour union in North America. In this episode of our On the Line podcast, host Rod Mickleburgh examines those days through an interview with Warren Williams, whose uncle Lee Williams was one of the early organizers.
Publication date: March 2, 2022
Podcast length: 26:29
Hosted by: Rod Mickleburgh
Research and writing by: Patricia Wejr and Rod Mickleburgh
Production by: John Mabbott
With special thanks to: Warren Williams
In the mid-twentieth century, sleeping car porters were a nearly exclusively Black workforce employed by Canada’s major rail lines on their overnight passenger routes. Although the work was stable, it was characterized by long hours, demanding service expectations, minimal rest accommodations, and a lack of advancement opportunities. Porters were expected to provide highly personalized service and could be dismissed for minor complaints with little recourse.
Efforts to unionize met with resistance from both employers and the mainstream railway unions, which excluded Black workers. In response, porters established the Order of the Sleeping Car Porters in 1917, the first Black-led union in North America. Later affiliating with the U.S.-based Brotherhood of the Sleeping Car Porters, they secured a union contract in 1945, which provided wage improvements, paid leave, and designated sleeping accommodation for porters.
The episode also addresses the social and geographical contexts of this history. Winnipeg and Montreal served as hubs for Black railway labour, while Vancouver’s Hogan’s Alley neighbourhood provided cultural and social support to porters during their layovers. Warren Williams situates his family’s experience within these broader developments, offering a grounded account of labour organizing and racial dynamics within Canada’s railway system.