Labor Day: Black-Led Unions That Fought For Workers' Rights
Labor Day: Black-Led Unions That Have Paved The Way For Black Workers’ Rights
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1. Black Sleeping Car Porters Union

The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters (BSCP) was the first African American labor union to be recognized by the American Federation of Labor.
The union was organized by African American employees of the Pullman Company and spearheaded by both A. Philip Randolph and Milton P. Webster. It was established in 1925.
“The BSCP fought a three-front battle against the Pullman Company, the American Federation of Labor, and the anti-union, pro-Pullman sentiments of the majority of the black community during its 12-year tenure,” the Black Past website notes.
They even helped to organize The March on Washington alongside Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Largely successful on each front, the BCSP is a significant institution in both the labor and civil rights history of the twentieth century in the United States.
2. Colored National Labor Union

The Colored National Labor Union was established in 1869 by African American workers to organize their labor collectively on a national level. Like other labor unions in the United States, the organization created the union to help fight for better working conditions for Black workers. At that time many people of color were excluded from existing unions like the predominantly white National Labor Union (NLU).
Among the goals of the CNLU, which represented African-American laborers in 21 states, was the issuance of farmland to poor African Americans in the South, government aid for education, and new non-discriminatory legislation that would help struggling black workers.
3. National Domestic Worker's Union

Founded by Dorothy Lee Bolden in 1968, the National Domestic Worker’s Union of America allowed domestic workers to fight for better wages. An organizer in the civil rights movement and advocate for women’s rights, Bolden was inspired by her own plight as a domestic worker.
A cultural revolutionary, Bolden was forced to enter the workforce at the age of nine to make ends meet for her family. Bolden’s eyesight became hindered after suffering from a fall, compromising her ability to take on certain jobs.
She first organized domestic workers in Atlanta, Ga. learning from her conversations with other domestic workers while taking public transportation. Through the union, thousands of women have secured better pay and working conditions throughout the United States.
4. Coalition of Black Trade Unionists

The Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU) is a nonprofit organization of African American trade union members that was established in 1972. This group is also an official member of the AFL-CIO, one of the United States’ largest federation unions. More than 50 different international and national trade unions are represented in CBTU and there are 50 chapters in the United States.
5. American League of Colored Laborers

Some historians believe that the American League of Color Laborers was the first African American labor union to form. Led by Fredrick Douglass, the AALU was created in 1850 to help skilled free craftsmen hone their abilities in the agricultural and industrial industry. It also aimed to encourage African Americans to establish their own businesses. The AALU often acted as a liaison between Black workers who encountered difficulty negotiating fair labor contracts with white workers and labor unions.
Labor Day: Black-Led Unions That Have Paved The Way For Black Workers’ Rights was originally published on ionenewsone.staging.go.ione.nyc
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