Pullman Palace Car Company wildcat strike, May 1894

Background. The Pullman Company, founded by George Pullman, was a manufacturer of railroad cars during the boom of railroads in the United States. In response to a downturn in business resulting from the Panic of 1893, the company cut wages by 25% without reducing rents on company-mandated housing. Most of the factory workers who built Pullman cars lived in the company town of Pullman, just outside of Chicago.

Strike Initiation. On May 11, 1894, the employees of the Pullman Company walked off the job, initiating the Pullman Strike. The conflict began in Chicago when nearly 4,000 factory employees began a wildcat strike, meaning the action was undertaken without union approval, in response to recent reductions in wages. The strike comprised part of a pair of interrelated strikes in 1894 that shaped national labor policy in the United States during a period of deep economic depression.

Company Town Conditions. The town of Pullman was designed to keep workers close to the factory. However, the lack of democracy in the town's politics and the company's strict control over workers' lives fueled resentment. The absence of democratic processes and the inability to buy homes contributed to the grievances that sparked the strike. The company's paternalism was later criticized as un-American.