The Pullman Strike of 1894 Essay Example

was put over his coffin in order to prevent the thousands who severely hated him, to rob his grave. This was not the ideal way in which Pullman wished to be remembered. Pullman’s motives were mostly concerning the profit that he could make on his workers and through the absence of a union. When that profitability was threatened, as was the case in the 1893 Depression, Pullman resorted back to his cut throat tactics which helped to alienate himself from his workers.

The Pullman Strike is an essential part of Chicago history, labor history and American history as it combined elements of all three of the above mentioned to create one of the largest strikes in American history and which helped the workers to realize that together, they had strength and even though victory was not always assured, more could be accomplished than in doing nothing. The Pullman plant was a true company town which resembled much of the modern mining company town in West Virginia of the 1940’s and 1950’s. People were paid in company script which was used in the company stores.

As a result, George Pullman assured himself and his investors that all of the profits on the daily spending habits of his workers would come back to him. In 1880, Pullman bought 4000 acres fourteen miles south of Chicago from the Central Railroad for $800,000. A new plant was designed there and as he was desirous to prevent labor unrest and the existence within his factory, created parks, libraries, hotels and restaurants within the confines of his town: Pullman, Illinois. In this effort, Pullman was praised by reformers in the national press and

the name of George Pullman was hailed as a real friend of the working man.

The workers were not thrilled in the fact that Pullman held such a tight rein over their lives and monopolized their freedom compared to today’s standards. Compared to workers in the Northern factories or the southern farms, life on Pullman was fairly well received. On the surface, this all seemed to be true. However, these positive conditions would only be kept in place when Pullman was making a profit on his town and his various business ventures. In the summer of 1893, a full year before the Pullman Strike, his town was valued at a little more than $5 million; a return of more than 600% in a little more than a decade.

By paying his workers unprecedented wages and contributing to the interior of the town through a library which housed more than 5,000 books from Pullman’s own library, he assured himself a content working force, the absence of labor unions and the freedom to run his town in the way that he saw fit and according to his own feelings. In this, Pullman stated that his treatment of his workers in such a way was not a sign of anything other than sound business principles and common sense towards the pursuit of even higher profits.

That such advantages and surroundings made better workmen by removing from the feeling of discontent and desire for change which so generally characterize the American workman; thus protecting the employer from loss of time and money consequent upon intemperance, labor strikes and dissatisfaction which generally result from poverty and uncongenial home surroundings. ” It would be

the failure of Pullman to follow his own ideology which would plummet his company and his thousands of workers into one of the most important and largest strikes in 19th century labor history.

Things began to change in the fall of 1893 when was then eventually referred to as the Great Depression, hit Wall Street and the major markets of the country. This depression would last from 1893 until 1897 and in a major way, directly affected the wages of the Pullman workers. What was seen as a necessity of the success of Pullman; the paternalistic approach which Pullman had towards his workers, soon was seen as a source of contention as the workers started to grumble that Pullman had too much power over the workers.

In a famous quote regarding this absolute power which Pullman had over his workers, one worker stated: “We are born in a Pullman house, fed from the Pullman shop, taught in the Pullman school, catechized in the Pullman church, and when we die we shall be buried in the Pullman cemetery and go to the Pullman hell. “ The depression of 1893 would prove in no uncertain terms that it was Pullman that was running his town and that the above mentioned comments would come to fruition in more ways than one. The depression of 1893 cut the demand for the various types of Pullman cars which were manufactured.

As a result, the wages of the workers were cut up to 28%. This is sizable reduction in the pay of the workers but what added salt to the wound and which was seen as a severe affront in the minds of the

workers was the fact that the rents and prices on the various public services and stores within Pullman, stayed the same and were not adjusted in accordance with the reduction in the workers’ wages. As a result, the American Railway Union, led by Eugene Debs presented the option of a strike to the workers who at first were reluctant to strike.

What served as the final blow to the workers was the promise that members who were designed to speak on behalf of the workers and in order to avoid a strike, would be able to negotiate with Pullman and the other bosses which were over them. This assumption was overly optometric at best and served as a further irony since one of the workers’ grievances was the way in which they were treated by these various bosses and the level of disrespect which they were suspect able to on a daily basis.

Despite the fact that the negotiations were quickly in a stalemate, the worker’s representatives were fired; a final insult to the workers. This set in motion the Pullman Strike as well as the larger American Railway Union Strike which involved over 125,000 workers and which was set in motion six weeks after the start of the Pullman strike. The Pullman strike began on May 11, 1894. Commenting on the events and motive of the strike, Jennie Curtis, the President of the Women’s chapter of the American Railroad Union stated: “We struck at Mr. Pullman because we were without hope.

We joined the American Railway Union because it gave us a glimmer of hope. Twenty thousand souls, men, women and little ones, have their eyes turned

towards this convention today; strained eagerly through dark despondency for a glimmer of the heaven-sent message which you alone can give us on this earth…. And so I say, come along with us, for decent conditions everywhere. ” These were the motivations of the workers; nothing more and nothing less. Once the three members of the worker’s committee were fired on May 10, 1894, the strike began the next day.

Pullman left town that day and would not be seen for the entirety of the strike. The strike gained strength when in June of 1894, combined with the strength of the American Railroad Union, held nation wide strikes. In Chicago, the attitude of the strike had gotten so out of control that the newly built buildings from the 1893 Chicago Worlds Fair, including the still present Museum of Science and Industry were set afire. During these first few weeks, it seemed as though the strike would be a success.

However, this was short lived and President Cleveland, against the opinion of Illinois governor John Altgeld, sent in more than 12,000 federal troops to put down the strike as it was seen that the strike was interfering with the federal mail and as a result, it was seen as the duty of the President to put down the strike. The number of troops constituted half the United States Army at the time. The strong show of force eventually did put an end to the strike and none of the conditions of the workers were met.

It became obvious that the collective power of the workers was not enough to change conditions at Pullman. On July 18th, Pullman announced the

reopening of his factory and the rehiring of anyone who would sign a contract promising never to join a union while employed at his factory. The workers went back to their previous conditions of decreased wages, irregular work based solely upon the demand of the factory and a mistreatment towards the respect of the workers in a general sense. In such a strike as this, one must know the reasons behind the strike and the major contributing factors to its outcome.

In America today, not every strike is a success. However, most unions and the efforts to achieve favorable conditions for the workers are usually not met with the same type of disdain that strikes in the 19th and early 20th century was met. In America at that time, there was a strong distrust towards unions and the people that would lead them. The New York Times, at the time of the strike called Eugene Debs, “the chief troublemaker of the country. ” The New York Times, then as well as now, was no friend of big business and unfettered capitalism.

However, the actions of men who were seen to have socialist leanings, were made to be public enemy number one within the press at that time. This was understandable, especially in Chicago, since it had been less than ten years since the Haymarket Riot of 1886. In the examination of that event in 19th century labor history, it is plain to see that the fear that Americans now connected with unions and those who would preach for the seemingly overthrow of the government in order to yield to the workers, a more favorable and respectable condition

in which to perform their jobs.

Those within that event who spoke out the most passionately against the current conditions of the working man; Spies and Parsons, were those who were most vilified by the press despite a severe lack of evidence which placed them at even the scene of the crime in which a bomb was thrown and police officers killed. In order for one to understand a time in history which was so very different and seemingly centuries ago, one must first place themselves back in time and to understand and comprehend the ideology of the day.

Perception can be even more powerful than reality among the masses when it comes to issues of capitalism vs. a perceived socialism, workers rights vs. freedom of the owners and the role of the federal government in such disputes. Even though the country was united in their hatred for socialism, the actions of President Cleveland to order federal troops into Pullman, assured that he would not be reelected for a second consecutive term. The workers, despite putting up a united front against Pullman, paid a heavy price. Thirteen of the strikers were killed and fifty seven were wounded.

Also, as a result of the strike, more than $340,000 in damage was done to the factory and it was assured that Pullman, who was always aware of the almighty dollar, was going to recoup his losses. Upon viewing actual individual work records from some of the employees of Pullman who had to most to gain and lose from the strike, it becomes obvious that a large majority of those who participated in the strike, for the duration of their employment,

would suffer an increase in the deduction of their wages as well as a very sporadic work record.

In one example which was not unique at all; one worker, Thomas McGaghie, who had started his employment with Pullman in the spring of 1886 and in which he had a superior work record, yielded a steady increase in pay, stopped after the strike. In personal journals and diaries from that individual worker, as well as records from the Chicago Historical Society, Thomas McGaghie took a direct and open approach in the strike. When he was hired back in the winter of 1894, his pay per piece had decreased a full 15% below the 28% decrease in pay.

Also, from 1884 until he retired in 1924, Thomas McGaghie, despite a superior work record and quality and speed of his peace work, now became to first to be let go during the down times and one of the last to be hired again. In total, he was let go and rehired, sometimes six months later, a total of forty six times. In this, he was not alone and even those workers who had performed their duties uninterrupted for decades after the strike, were still labeled by the bosses are socialists and troublemakers.

Eugene Debs and the lawyer who would defend him, Clarence Darrow, both made names for themselves in this labor struggle. The end was not as kind for Pullman who died only two years after the strike ended. His utopian city was remembered, when it was remembered at all, for the strike and the large degree of discontent which the workers felt. There are hardly anyone in Chicago history more

hated than George Pullman.

However, had the strike never occurred and the Pullman was able, or rather willing to absorb the losses from the depression, the name of George Pullman would still be held up to this day as one of the most important and influential performers in American labor history. That was not to be however and when George Pullman died, his body was required to have encased over it, a dozen feet of concrete in which to dissuade those with such a hatred for the man, to exhume his body in order for the labor movements to portray their continued hatred for the man.

The Pullman strike of 1894 is not a complex event in American history, it is a story that is filled with one tragic story after another; from Georg Pullman and Pullman, Illinois, a once utopian society that was filled with so much promise, to the thousands of individual workers who dealt with the fear that an irregular work schedule and the known fact that Pullman inserted into his work force, snitches ordered to inform him of any individual who was sympathetic to unions. Positive change would come to labor in the 20th century, only to have millions of jobs sent overseas. Labor has always fought an uphill battle and this was painfully true at the end of the 19th century.