where was the Pullman Strike during the Gilded Age located? What was the issue? And what company/companies were involved? Please help!
The strike occurred south of Chicago, not far from where I grew up.
http://www.lib.niu.edu/1994/ihy941208.html
During the Gilded Age, the Pullman Strike took place in the United States. It occurred primarily in Pullman, a company town located on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois. The strike began on May 11, 1894, and lasted for several months, becoming one of the largest labor strikes in American history.
The primary issue that led to the Pullman Strike was the wage cuts and poor working conditions imposed by the Pullman Palace Car Company. The company, headed by George Pullman, was a major manufacturer of luxury sleeper cars for railroads. In response to the economic depression during the 1890s, the Pullman Company reduced wages by significant amounts, while not lowering rents and prices within the company town.
The workers, predominantly members of the American Railway Union (ARU), led by Eugene V. Debs, began the strike in protest against these wage reductions and continued exploitation. The ARU sought to bargain collectively on behalf of all Pullman employees, demanding a fairer wage system and improved living conditions.
As the strike progressed, it affected not only the Pullman Company but also disrupted rail traffic nationwide. In an attempt to maintain order, President Grover Cleveland sent federal troops to the strike zone, justifying their presence by claiming interference with the delivery of mail. This move further escalated the tensions between labor and big businesses, leading to violent clashes between protesters, strikebreakers, and the military.
Ultimately, the strike ended in failure for the workers. The federal government, in cooperation with the courts, intervened to suppress the strike, and Eugene V. Debs and many other prominent union leaders were arrested. The Pullman Strike highlighted the power struggle between labor and management during the Gilded Age, and it served as a catalyst for the labor movement's fight for workers' rights and better living conditions in the years that followed.