Pullman Strike Thesis

At the time of the Pullman Strike, the environment of the United States was pro-business therefore necessitating a strike by the company workers. Due to the depression facing the nation in 1893, the Pullman Car Company had to have finance cuts. This led to a work or be fired situation that put in the thought that workers were expendable. The ARU soon refused to pull Pullman Cars and the Pullman Strike was developed. Due to poor living conditions, workers demanded to make less into more. In Pullman’s Testimony, it says that Pullman said the economic situation of 1894 (the depression) forced him to cut wages and that he had in fact bid to make cars at a loss to keep more work. Pullman tried to use the depression as an excuse for lower wages, earnings, and hours. Yet, he kept the price of groceries, rent, and supplies up. Due to the Financial Info on Pullman’s Car Company, on July 31, 1894, Pullman was still making a surplus of $2,320,416.90, money that he could be putting into laborers’ pockets instead of his own. The Pullman Company was supposed to be taking care of their workers. Lowering wages would’ve been okay, but the fact that Pullman didn’t cut the rent, grocery bills, and other expenses made like almost
Debt was the biggest problem for these workers. Jennie Curtis couldn’t pay even $3 out of her own pocket each day and any money she did have extra of, she would put in the bank to cover her rent. Theodore Rhodie, a painter, explained that it was virtually impossible to make a living while working for Pullman. Usually making a total of $9 per hundred in the fall, it cut down to $4.25 during the strike; showing just how bad the wages were cut. He said that there was much more than debt that led to the strike. Things like abuse by the company, not being able to pay rent, grocery shopping debt, and so on make people feel the need to speak up for what they