Railway Porters and Their Unions - Montreal, Quebec - Canadian National Historic Sites on Waymarking.com

Text of plaque:

Les Porteurs Ferroviaires Et Leurs Syndicats
Railway Porters and Their Unions

Les porteurs ferroviaires ont joué un rôle majeur dans la défense des droits des Noirs au Canada. Dès la fin des années 1880, ils étaient des chefs de file des communautés noires de Montréal et d'autres villes.  Grâce à leurs syndicats, dont l'Ordre des porteurs de wagons'lits et la Fraternité des porteurs de wagons[lits. ils réussirent à obtenir la reconnaissance des personnes d'ascendance africaines dans les relations de travail.  Après la Seconde Guerre mondiale, ils contribuèrent de façon importante au mouvement pour les droits de la personne, notamment par leu lutte pour éliminer la discrimination dans les emplois ferroviaires.

Railway porters played a major role in the struggle for Black rights in Canada.  Starting in the late 1880s, they emerged as leaders of African Canadian communities in Montréal and in other urban centres.  Through their unions, such as the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters and Order of Sleeping Car Porters, they gained recognition for Blacks within the labor movement.  After the Second World War, the porters made important contributions to the campaign for human rights, particularly through their struggle to end discrimination in railway employment.

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