Pullman Strike, also called the Chicago Strike, was a violent labor dispute that took place in 1894. The strike involved the Pullman Company, which manufactured railroad cars near Chicago, and the American Railway Union (ARU). The ARU was a group of railroad workers who were led by Eugene V. Debs. The strike began when employees of the Pullman Company refused to return to work, to protest a reduction in their wages. In sympathy with the employees, the ARU refused to haul railroad cars made by the company. A general railroad strike resulted.
The railroad strike interfered with mail trains. A federal court ordered leaders of the ARU to call off the strike but they refused. President Grover Cleveland sent federal troops to protect the mail and maintain law and order. When the troops arrived in the Chicago area, violence erupted and much railroad property was destroyed. Debs and other union leaders were then arrested for refusing to obey the court order. The government actions ended the strike. The settlement demonstrated the power of the U.S. government to intervene against strikes that threatened the public interest.
See also Debs, Eugene V. .
