Railroad Trailblazer, Leah "Rosie" Rosenfeld
While on a recent family trip to Sacramento, we visited the California State Railroad Museum. During the tour, we learned about many pivotal figures in railway history, and among them was a trailblazer named Leah “Rosie” Rosenfeld.
Rosie was the single mother of 12 children, an otherworldly feat in and of itself, and worked for Southern Pacific Railroad in clerical roles. In 1955, she applied for a promotion to the role of railroad station agent—the point of contact between railroad companies, passengers, and freight customers. That’s when Rosie hit a brick wall in the form of “women’s protective laws,” policies that excluded women from certain workplace positions.
After being denied a station agent promotion four times and passed over by less experienced men, Rosie sought help from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). With their assistance, Rosie sued Southern Pacific for their discriminatory practices “solely because of her sex.”
In 1968, the court ruled in her favor, and unsurprisingly, Southern Pacific quickly appealed. Rosie, however, gained notoriety as the media took interest in the case. In 1971, the appeals court upheld the earlier decision, paving the way for her well-deserved and long-overdue promotion.
To commemorate Women’s Equality Day, we recognize and appreciate Leah “Rosie” Rosenfeld, a trailblazer who helped dismantle discriminatory employment practices and opened other opportunities for women in railroading.
You can learn more about Rosie in this article from Historynet:
https://www.historynet.com/leah-rosie-rosenfeld/
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Slipstream
Awesome story! There are so many women like "Rosie" who worked hard and were constantly passed over for promotions. She was a strong woman who stood her ground and won. She deserves recognition and applause for contributing to the rights we have today. Thanks for bringing Rosie to our attention.
Evangel
Loved this story. Women certainly owe a debt to her. Many men during that era were unhappy about equal employment laws. Even to this day, a half-century later, there is still a wage gap between men and women doing the same job. In 2023, full-time, year-round working women earned 83% of what their male counterparts earned, according to the Census Bureau’s most recent analysis.