The Federal Government Shot the Workers — The Pullman Strike (1894)
1894. Chicago railway workers went on strike. The U.S. president sent in the army. 13 people died. And Labor Day was born.
Pullman Town
George Pullman. Manufacturer of railroad sleeping cars.
He built an entire town in Illinois. Named it Pullman Town.
Workers lived in company housing. Shopped at company stores. Rent was deducted directly from their wages.
Wages Cut, Rent Unchanged
The economic depression of 1893. Pullman cut wages by 25 percent.
Rent stayed the same.
Workers were left with almost nothing after a week's work.
May 1894. Strike.
It Spread Nationwide
The American Railway Union joined in. 250,000 workers across 27 states.
Any train carrying Pullman cars was refused service.
America's rail network ground to a halt.
The Army
President Cleveland sent in federal troops.
Without asking the governor. The Illinois governor objected.
Troops fired on striking workers. 13 people died.
The strike was crushed.
Labor Day
Strike leader Eugene Debs was imprisoned.
President Cleveland signed a new law to calm worker outrage.
Federal Labor Day — the first Monday of September.
It's why the United States celebrates Labor Day in September while most of the world uses May 1st.
Date: May 1894 | Strikers: 250,000 | Deaths: 13 | Result: Federal Labor Day established
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