The Pullman Strike

Rhett Baker

Key Players Pullman Palace Car Company-

manufactured luxury railroad cars between 1880 and 1979 Founded by George M. Pullman

in Chicago, Illinois Was originally designed as

a sleeping and luxury railcar service in 1867

In 1880 began building cars and providing the services for the trains

Became the largest railroad car manufacturer in the United States

American Railway Union (ARU)- primary goal was to united railway employees of all different positions into one large union Founded in Chicago June 20,

1893 Led by Eugene V. Debs

Eugene V. Debs- socialist and advocate for American unions and worker rights

Pullman the Town

One of the Pullman manufacturing locations was in Pullman, Illinois

George Pullman founded the town, and it served as a residency for his workersWas a complete town

Homes for workers were inadequatePoor structuresNo plumbing

Pullman designed the outskirts of the town to appear lavish from the exterior and a “model town of workers” to the public

The Outskirts of the Pullman Town

Origin of the StrikePanic of 1893Pullman offset losses by

cutting factory productivity and reducing wagesDid not reduce rents,

utility charges, or store prices

Resulted in workers having little profit from labor after living expenses

May 7th, 1894 Pullman workers formed a committeeRequested rent to be

lowered to coincide with deductions in wages

Pullman refused and terminated three of the committee members

George Pullman

The Strike Begins After the termination of

committee members, workers declared their intent to strike

On May 10th, 1894 Pullman workers in Pullman, Illinois walked off the job

On May 11th, 1894 the Pullman Plant officially closed

Strike was peaceful for several weeks Pullman management

continued to refuse arbitration with workers

Pullman Union strikers became desperate for aid

Pullman workers walking out after declaring a strike

Assistance Provided Under the direction of

Eugene Debs the American Railroad Union offered assistance to the Pullman workers The ARU had 465 local

unions at the time Pullman workers were

recognized as an affiliated union

Debs attempted to push Pullman into arbitration on behalf of the Pullman workers

The company refused On June 26th, 1894 the

ARU called for a national blockade and boycott of Pullman cars

Switchmen refused to switch trains containing any Pullman cars

Expansion of the Strike Work stoppage against all railroads

utilizing Pullman cars was initiated Within four days of Debs’ work

stoppage order, 125,000 workers employed at twenty-nine separate railroads walked off the job

The Pullman Strike had officially begun

Two sides of the strike Big railroad companies aligning

with Pullman Laborers of railways, and other

skilled and unskilled professions aligning with Pullman workers

Actions were directed toward the General Managers’ Association Responsible for twenty-four of

the rail lines entering Chicago GMA hired strikebreakers

Many were African American

Eugene Debs

Rally and Sympathies On June 27th, 1894 Debs

held a peaceful rally at Blue Island, Illinois Location of railroad

workers also boycotting Pullman cars

Following the speech, the crowd lit nearby buildings afire and derailed a railcar

Debs’ leadership of the ARU caused other states to participate in the strike

Sympathy strikes by local unions occurred in twenty-seven other states, and over 250,000 workers participated in the boycott at its peak Gained the Pullman

strike nationwide recognition

First “National Strike”

Government Response July 2nd, 1894 President

Grover Cleveland, with assistance from U.S. Attorney General Richard Olney, issued a federal injunction against the ARU Forbid union leaders

from supporting the strike

Prevented ARU leaderships, such as Debs, from communicating with the striking workers

Banned the union from interfering with mail and rail movement within the state of Illinois Cited the Interstate

Commerce Act

President Grover Cleveland

Attorney General Richard Olney

Sherman Antitrust Act Originally intended to

curb the existence of trusts and business monopolies

It was used to restrict actions of the ARU during the strike and boycott Cleveland used it to

instead curb the “abuses” of the Pullman strike movement

Enabled the jailing of strikers and the use of federal troops

Sought to primarily break the Pullman Strike and the ARU boycott of Pullman cars

Federal Troops July 3rd, 1894 President

Grover Cleveland ordered troops into Chicago Illinois Governor Peter

Altgeld failed to convince Cleveland to use other measures to put down the strikes

Eugene Debs also warned of the possible violence that could ensue

Eight companies of infantry, one troop of cavalry, and an artillery battalion were positioned along the railroad tracks leading into Chicago Constituted a force of

over two thousand men

Public Reaction July 4th the federal troops’

presence kindled violence Engines were removed

from railcars and destroyed

Freight cars overturned Tower-men removed and

dragged from posts Soldiers struck with

stones, rail spikes, and bricks

Those engaged in the mayhem were primarily citizens of Chicago and sympathizers of the strikers

To address the situation, two thousand special deputies were hired by federal marshals and brought in

Continued Riots The next day, July 5th, a mob of

nearly 10,000 citizens marched from the packinghouse district of Chicago to the rail yards Destroyed property Set railcars afire Pushed freight cars off

tracks Vandalized buildings of the

World Fair site On July 6th an Illinois Central

manager shot two rioters, which sparked revenge by citizens Seven hundred freight cars

were torched Railroad buildings and

bridges were burned Telegraph lines destroyed In total thirteen people were

killed, and fifty-three injured in Chicago

AFL and the Strike’s End National labor leaders

convened to discuss the possibility of a general strike in support of the workers Samuel Gompers, leader

of the AFL, believed the cause was lost due to the issuing of: Federal injunctions Federal troops

AFL labeled George Pullman as “a public enemy”

Commended the ARU boycott and rail workers

Concluded that a general strike would be unwise

Samuel Gompers

Following the strike, Debs and other aids were arrested for: Interfering with U.S. mail Obstructing interstate

commerce Contempt of court

Debs and his counterparts refused to accept or offer bail, and instead remained behind bars in protest of their arrests Debs served six months

in prison after being convicted for violating the court injunction

With Debs and other leaders removed the strike dwindled By August 2nd all Pullman

cars were fully active and the strike ceased

Eugene Debs and Pullman

Eugene Debs’ mug shot after being arrested for contempt of court

Precedents Set Negatives

Willingness of federal government to intervene in large strikes to support capitalists against labor

Criticism by the media Utilization of federal

troops as strikebreakers

Manipulation of federal laws to crush labor movements

Positives Signified the capability

and power of unified labor movements National recognition Citizen support

Labor Day

ReferencesDray, Phillip, “Pullman’s Town,” in There is Power in a Union. New

York: Anchor Books, 2011.

Ladd, Keith and Greg Rickman. “ The Pullman Strike, Chicago,

1894” Kansas Heritage Group. Last modified March 3, 1998.

http://www.kansasheritage.org/pullman/index.html.

“The Pullman Strike.” Illinois Periodicals Online. Last modified

December 1994.

http://www.lib.niu.edu/1994/ihy941208.html.

Thank You