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Pullman-Standard Employees - Over Age 45

During World War II, as many of the younger men went off to fight in the war, many older men needed to be hired or rehired in order to fulfill contracts that Pullman-Standard Car Manufacturing Company had with our Government, as well as the British Government to furnish tanks, guns, etc.

Per a notice dated March 14, 1935, from C. A. Liddle, President of Pullman-Standard Car Manufacturing Company, Office of the President, to the Heads of Departments:

The following regulations will govern the employment of persons who are 45 years of age or over:

No person 55 years of age of over may be taken into service as a new employee of the Company except by special authority of the President, obtained prior to such employment; no person between the ages of 45 and 55 years taken into service as a new employee, shall be retained beyond the next ensuing pay period without authorization from the President or duly authorized Vice-President for retention.

The term “new employee” shall be construed to mean a person without previous service with this Company, predecessor companies or affiliated companies, and also any person having such previous service but who last previous service was terminated of his own volition or by discharge not followed by reinstatement within one year, or by failure to return to work when called back while on temporary lay-off.

In the Rules and Regulations on Employment Relations, April 15, 1936, reads as follows:

“Section A - Schedule of Maximum Permissible Absence”

Previous Continuous Service                             Maximum Absence

Less than 5 years                                            12 months from date last worked
5 Years and less than 10 Years                        15 months from date last worked
10 Years and less than 15 Years                      18 months from date last worked
15 Years and less than 20 Years                       21 months from date last worked
20 Years or more                                             24 months from date last worked

While there are many employees who returned to work for the Pullman-Standard Car Company, most appeared to have not worked continuously, in accordance with the above regulation.  Therefore, they were considered a  “new employee.”

The following list of men and women was found at the Indiana University Northwest, Calumet Regional Archives. Some of these letters of correspondence were from the following plants: Hammond, Indiana;  Bessemer, Alabama; Butler, Pennsylvania; Michigan City, Indiana; Baltimore, Maryland; one from St. Louis, Missouri; one from New Orleans, Louisiana,  as well as the majority from originating from the Chicago Pullman Works plant. This information represents the complete and available file of information.

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