In what year did the Pullman Strike, a nationwide railroad strike, occur?

The major nationwide railroad strike known as the Pullman Strike occurred in 1894.

This significant labor dispute originated in Pullman, Illinois, a company town where George M. Pullman's Palace Car Company controlled nearly all aspects of its workers' lives. Amidst the severe economic downturn of the Panic of 1893, Pullman cut workers' wages by 25-30% but refused to lower rents or prices in the company town. Facing these harsh conditions, the workers appealed to the American Railway Union (ARU), led by Eugene V. Debs.

The strike began on May 11, 1894, after Pullman refused negotiations and fired a grievance committee. The ARU responded with a nationwide boycott, refusing to handle trains carrying Pullman cars, which severely disrupted rail traffic across the country. President Grover Cleveland's administration intervened with a federal injunction and troops to ensure mail delivery and break the strike, leading to violence, property damage, and the arrest of Debs.

Although the strike ultimately failed for the workers, it dramatically illustrated the growing power of industrial unions and the federal government's willingness to intervene. Notably, in a conciliatory move during the conflict, President Cleveland signed the bill establishing Labor Day as a