Depot Usher

[chuggy]

My sister is helping a mutual friend research members of his family.  One young man in 1917 (according to his WWI draft registration form) was employed in Chjcago by the CRI&P and the NYC as a "depot usher."   This appears to have been sort of a "travelers' aid" occupation according to what my sister found in a Google search.  Does anyone know anything more about this occupation?

[michaeljy]

As a former union representative, my recollection of this job category is that it was/is usually paired with "Gateman," as in "Usher-Gateman."  As you might imagine, these jobs were usually found in the largest and busiest terminals in major cities, although there were always exceptions.  For example, I once worked with a ticket clerk who began his career as a Gateman with the Atlantic Coast Line in Florence, SC, during WWII.  All sorts of considerations went into the creation and naming of job categories in those days, and one that we must not forget is race.  While an Usher or Gateman might be closely related to the Red Cap category, on some properties the distinction might have been to delineate who had access to what job.  This was not only true on RRs in the South, either, as one might think.  At the time of my retirement, 1996, I believe there were still a few Usher-Gatemen employed by Amtrak at major stations in the NEC, and possibly Chicago.

[Deggesty]

My only experience with an usher came in the Philadelphia Suburban station. I had bought a ticket to ride out to North Philadelphia, and asked the ticket seller which gate, and he told me to ask an usher; as I recall they were standing at the gates. Thus, a PRR usher was a gateman.

[chuggy]

Thanx for comments.  I think the function still exists & am curious about the job title used by Amtrak.  I know about "gatemen" from years ago but I'd never heard the term "usher"  so applied until recently.

Remembering to my last Amtrak trip in August 08, I arrived in Chicago's Union Station in the AM & had to wait a few hours to board the Cal Zephyr.  When train time approached, Amtrak employees organized the passengers and moved us from the waiting room to a "pre-boarding" area next to the concourse.  As I recall, senior citizens, families with young children & the disabled were allowed to board the train before the rest of the passengers.  The Amtrak people organized the groups & directed us across the concourse to the correct platform.

Obviously, the term "usher" is a fitting description; I'm just wonder what Amtrak calls those employees?  Is the actual job title called "gate person" or "usher" or something else?

[michaeljy]

Amtrak job categories have been evolving since its creation in 1971.  The trend has been toward consolidation of functions and elimination of some of the "classic" categories inherited from the prior carriers.  For example, in Eastern Region Seniority District 2 (the Southeast, except Florida), almost all (perhaps all, by now) station jobs have been reclassified as Ticket Clerks.  The Baggageman and other categories have been virtually eliminated, afaik.  Management finally figured out that doing so simplified their job greatly, and the difference in pay rate is only about $5.00 per 8-hour day, i.e., less than $1 per hour.

So, the bottom line is, there is no telling what those employees are called nowadays.  They might be Ticket Clerks!

Mike Young