How Did George Pullman Control Their Employees

George Pullman, and other employers, controlled their employees and did not care if the wage was too low or the working conditions weren’t safe. George Pullman controlled a company that manufactured sleeping cars for trains and operated them under contract to the railroads. He created Pullman City to house his employees; it was a three thousand acre plot of land south of Chicago in the area of 114th Street and Cottage Grove. His employees were required to live in Pullman City. He made the clergy pay rent to use the church, and he charged money for use of the library. The workers were expected to accept pay cuts and not criticize workloads. If a worker went into debt, the money was taken from his paycheck (Brendel). George Pullman was extremely eager to earn money and extremely tight-fisted when it came to paying his employees. This caused the Pullman Palace Car Company workers to walk out on May 11, 1894 (Smith). This was called a “wildcat strike” because the workers did not have permission from their union to strike.

They have set rules and regulations for workers so that they can be safe while doing their jobs and are forcing employers to raise wages. The early unions obtained the eight hour work day and the foundation for the Workers Compensation Acts, but the unions today have built on that foundation and raised the standards, so that the working men and women can give their families a roof over their heads and food on the table. Labor unions fight for the rights of workers. Today, they are trying to keep jobs in America and get the companies to let union workers to do the jobs needed instead of hired contractors. Many people today would agree with Mother Jones when she said “As I long to see the day when Labor will have the destiny of the nation in her own hands and she will stand as a united force and show the world what the workers can do.”