Pullman+Strike+of+1894

= __**The Pullman Strike of 1894**__ =

=__ ** The Company: ** __= The Pullman Palace Car Company was a manufacturer of passenger cars for trains. The company was created by George Pullman in 1880, in the factory town of Pullman, Illinois, just south of Chicago. The workers at The Pullman Palace Car Company, rented houses and bought food from the company. By early 1893, Pullman's company had acheived close to a monopoly in the production of his sleeping cars. He hired conductors, attendants, and porters who had various jobs including repairing and maintenance of the Pullman sleepers at various stops. Even though the major headquarters was in Pullman Illinois, he also built plants in Kentucky and Detroit.

__** The Problems: ** __
Workers complained the company was always trying to reduce the independence of skilled workers. Pullman employees also complained the foreman were favorited in the workplace. Because the company was not only an employer but also a landlord, this cause many grievances that were later brought up and used against the Pullman company. The most important grievance the workers had, was involved with the price cuts George Pullman made. In the depression of 1893 the company also cut workers wages by 25%. Although they did not reduce any of the other rates, like the house rent the workers paid to the company.

At this time many workers were joining the American Railroad Union. In March of 1894, the Pullman workers met with Vice-President Thomas Wickes, to discuss their concerns, and present a list of grivences. Although three members of the group who met with him were fired with no explanation, three days later.



__** Strike! **__ After the three workers were fired, the American railroad union advised the Pullman workers to walk out.

“//We do not know what the outcome will be, and in fact we do not care much. We do know that we are working for less wages than will maintain ourselves and families in the necessaries of life, and on that one proposition we absolutely refuse to work any longer.”// //-Thomas Heathcote (local leader) //



Then the ARU gave the Pullman Company four days to meet with them to negotiate, and if not, the workers would boycott all trains with the Pullman cars attached. After no meeting was held, the boycott began, and by June of 1893, 125,000 workers joined the boycott. This was known as the Pullman Strike. There was an ongoing struggle between railroad workers and their employees. .

// "Pullman may appear to be all glitter and glory to the casual visitor but there is a deep, dark background of discontent which it would be idle to deny." // // - The Chicago Tribune //

__ ** The Railroad Companies Fight Back ** __ To try to stop the boycott, the railroad companies attached the Pullman cars to US mail. Although because the workers were now disrupting the US mail, it was now a federal matter and the government could step in. This caused President Grover Cleveland to send troops to Pullman, Illinois to control the situation. The troops opened fire and killed 30 people.

//"The strike ended with the intervention of the United States Army. The passenger trains also hauled mail cars, and although the workers promised to operate mail trains so long as Pullman cars were not attached, the railroads refused. Pullman and the carriers informed federal officials that violence was occurring and that the mail was not going through. Attorney General Richard Olney, who disliked unions, heard their claims of violence (but not the assurances of local authorities that there was no uncontrolled violence) and arranged to send federal troops to insure the delivery of the mail and to suppress the strike. The union leader, Debs, was jailed for not obeying an injunction that a judge had issued against the strikers." // //-Quoted from Mansel G. Blackford and K. Austin Kerr //

It ended only after Federal Government intervention. Troops enter Pullman, Illinois to end the strike.

__**Effects: **__



The federal courts charged an injunction under the Sherman Anti-Trust Act on the strike. Also leader of the American Railroad Union, Eugene Debs was charged with conspiracy for interfering with US mail, and sentenced to years in prison.

Even though the strike ended badly, there was now a greater awareness of the labor problem to the American public. Eugene Debs, know knew the only way to improve life for Americans was to get a place in government. He became one of the most popular socialist leaders after his time in jail. This strike was one of the longest lasting and intense labor disputes in the history of the United States. Newspapers carried daily reports on the strike, receiving national attention.

__**References **__ "Glogster EDU - 21st century multimedia tool for educators, teachers and students | Text, Images, Music and Video ." Glogster EDU - 21st century multimedia tool for educators, teachers and students | Text, Images, Music and Video. http://edu.glogster.com (accessed May 16, 2011). Hooper, Kimberly. "American People I & II." American People I & II. http://americanpeople2.blogspot.com (accessed May 16, 2011).

"Building America: George Pullman." Newsburgular. newsburglar.com (accessed May 16, 2011).
 "Illinois Historical Digitization Projects: Northern Illinois University Libraries." Illinois Historical Digitization Projects: Northern Illinois University Libraries. http://dig.lib.niu.edu (accessed May 16, 2011).

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> "Chicago History Museum | ." Chicago History Museum |. http://chicagohs.org (accessed May 16, 2011). <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> ====Grace, Michael L.. "Cruise Line History - Cruising The Past - Cruise History." Cruise Line History - Cruising The Past - Cruise History. http://cruiselinehistory.com (accessed May 16, 2011). =<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">== =

====<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Howes, Edward H.. "California HISTORIAN -- Pullman Strike of 1894." California HISTORIAN :: Celebrating California History through the Conference of California Historical Societies. http://www.californiahistorian.com/articles/pullman-strike.html (accessed May 16, 2011). ====

<span style="margin-left: .5in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 11.0pt .5in; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 26px;"> Lindsey, Almont. "The Pullman strike: the story of a ... - Google Books." Google Books. http://books.google.com/books?id=oaWamk_kwfQC&printsec=frontcover&dq=pullman+strike&source=bl&ots=rk174Wm7oN&sig=lMqWBkipS0297hBFA022X0LyuIQ&hl=en&ei=ZLfeS9J1woLyBrvB6J4F&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CCYQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q&f=false (accessed May 16, 2011).

<span style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 11.0pt .5in; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> <span style="margin-left: .5in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 11.0pt .5in; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> <span style="margin-left: .5in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 11.0pt .5in; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> "Pullman Strike." Spartacus Educational - Home Page. http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USApullman.htm (accessed May 16, 2011). <span style="margin-left: .5in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 11.0pt .5in; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> <span style="margin-left: .5in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 11.0pt .5in; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> Schneirov, Richard. "The Pullman Strike and the crisis of ... - Google Books." Google Books. http://books.google.com/books?id=OA-31eBGzpkC&printsec=frontcover&dq=pullman+strike&source=bl&ots=NKU9SPd8k2&sig=6cK7NdV4Dag6GC6K7tYimsqSi5w&hl=en&ei=arjeS4vjA8P48AbY3ISkBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=7&ved=0CCMQ6AEwBjgK#v=onepage&q&f=false (accessed May 16, 2011). <span style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 11.0pt .5in; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> <span style="margin-left: .5in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 11.0pt .5in; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> <span style="margin-left: .5in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 11.0pt .5in; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> "The Pullman Strike." Illinois Historical Digitization Projects: Northern Illinois University Libraries. http://dig.lib.niu.edu/gildedage/pullman/index.html (accessed May 16, 2011). <span style="margin-left: .5in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 11.0pt .5in; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> <span style="margin-left: .5in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 11.0pt .5in; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> "eHistory at OSU | Multimedia Histories." eHistory at OSU | Welcome to eHistory. http://ehistory.osu.edu/osu/mmh/1912/content/pullman.cfm (accessed May 16, 2011). <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">