1894day.year
Four thousand Pullman Palace Car Company workers go on a wildcat strike.
On May 11, 1894, nearly 4,000 Pullman Palace Car Company employees initiated a spontaneous wildcat strike in protest of wage cuts. The unsanctioned walkout disrupted railcar production and rattled the nation's transportation network.
On May 11, 1894, approximately 4,000 workers at the Pullman Palace Car Company plant in Chicago walked off the job without union approval. Frustrated by pay reductions and rising living costs in company-owned housing, these employees brought production at the iconic railcar facility to a halt. The strike's ripple effect slowed rail traffic across multiple states and drew national attention to labor grievances. As tensions escalated, both company officials and government authorities scrambled to contain the dispute. The wildcat action foreshadowed the larger Pullman Strike later that year, which would involve federal intervention. The events underscored growing debates over workers' rights, corporate power, and the role of government in labor conflicts.
1894
wildcat strike