Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-07-24
STORY OF PULLMAN.
Inside Facts Of the Strike Brought 70
Light.
Why The MEN DECIDED TO GO OUT.
Non.Reduction Of Rent tho Great "r''''
ance--what q Man Can
Earn.


told, says a correspondent OF the boS'o''
Traveller. The Independent life ana CIV"
racter OF the town: the courageous sche''e
that was developed in It's buiiains' inc
beauty OF architecture displayed; the sym
me,ry u purpose and design eVo''eo ~
the construction of its vast shopS' ''e
paving and gardening OF Its generous
acres: the arrangement OF It's many hoiheS
for working men, It's stores libraries
churches. and schools: in fine. the ideah'y
Of a self.supporting community, proVidihs
.verv want of civilization-all THIS mas
been described in numerous atucies W
the magazine theorists.
Hut to-day these happy pictures OF an
Industrial Arcadia seem but grim car
toong. The real Pullman Is the sadueS'
MACE In America. The shops are SILENT
the stores are deserted, the popuIa'ioh -
Organized into mob Of maiconteh's' All"
the once peaceful grounds are invaded ny
a regiment Of soldiers.
such a dismal ending OF a great plan
proves that there are some Things ABOUT
pullman which have not been tod. Inc
present strike is bringing out some START
ling facts. but even these have been so
distorted and Inaccurate that the puo''c
mind has been unable TO grasp the feai
issue involved.
Tho secret cause which led to the Pun
man bovcott has never been printed. 10
be sure. the grievances were many anu
some Of them have been correctly re-
viewed. but the chief complaint OF une
omployees has never been comprehensively
presented.
The pretended scale of wages" at Pull
man has been a mere formality for hve
years. 1t has made no difference to the
employees what the schedule was. Inc
reductions have been accompanied by
means Of a cut in the prices paid Tor
piece-work. and the rate Of pay per hour
has had little or nothing to do with the
matter. This rate of pay Was originally
based upon day work, and day work was
practically abandoned by the Pullman
Company years ago.
CAUSES or THE STRIKE
The reol cause Of the strike may be
clearly stated as follows: In Novem-
Der. 1895. the Pullman company was
paving it's skilled mechanics an average
of % cents per hour for piece-work. In
other words, it was so gauging the prices
allowed for the different pieces of work
turned over TO such employees that they
were able to make about . cents per
hour. or $3.50 day. Some Of them, In
deed. could work so rapidly that they sue
ceoded in earning from - IL TO % cents
an hour. or from S3.25 to $3.50 a day.
For example: When the company had
n piece of inside finishing on a parlor-car
TO be done the local manager or one
of the department bosses would estimate
the time ii would require to complete the
work. and, allowing - cents an hour for
the labor would let out the contract
70 a gang of men. who could make more
or less than the calculated wages accord
ing as they worked. fast or slow. 1t vii!
then be seen that the scale OF wages
might very easily be kept at - cents per
hour. and the price offered for the work
itself so reduced that the men could not
possibly earn the pretended pay. Ii is ne
cessary to understand these facts to APP
preciate the real grievance of the Pullman
employees.
The first cut in wages came in NO
yember. 1893. when the company an
nounced that on and after that date II
would allow no man in the shops To earn
more than % IL cents per hour.
This meant much greater reduction
than il seems. 1t meant that the prices
allowed for doing all classes of piece-work
by the expert mechanics would be so
fixed that no matter how hard man
worked he could not possibly earn more
than SIS per day. If he earned more
than that amount he could not collect it.
IL must be borne in mind. also, that the
company did not guarantee steady work
even upon these conditions, but ire
ouently laid off the men for several
days at a time. with the statement that
they were too far ahead with the parucu-
lar class of work in when thc suspended
employee was engaged.
NO COMPLAINT AT FIRST.
No complaint was made against the
first reduction in wages at Pullman. The
next one came in February. 1884, when
the scale of prices was so adjusted that
the best workman was limited to 20 cents
an hour or 81 n day. This, OF course,
was the maximum amount earned after
February. The ordinary workman opera
ting under the new schedule could not
make over $50 to sl75 per day. and the
inferior mechanics and common laborers
never at any time drew more than Sl.25
for ten hours work.
IL was at this time that the men began
TO organize and to discuss a remedy for
their grievances. Until February, 1894
there had never been any union OF the
Pullman employees. Every attempt al
organization had been defeated by the
managers. and those engaged in the effort
had been discharged.
Even now the leaders discouraged ex.
tremes and counselled patience. Finally,
however, another cut was made. reducing
the maximum wages for skilled me-
chanics to 10, and later to Is cents an
hour But this was not all. Although the
pretended scale of wages was fixed at
IS cents an hour. the prices allowed for
the piece-work were so reduced that the
actual cut was really to and 10 cents an
hour. or, in some cases, to as little as 70
cents day.
This was the point at which forbearance
could no longer prevail. The works be-
came n perfect bedlam of excitement.
Scarcely man In the shops was making
enough money TO pay his rent. Nearly all
were greatly indebted TO the stores. and
starvation was staring them out of counte-
nance. In the mean time about one third
had joined the American Railway Union.
and in April they began-to hold meet
ings for the discussion OF their troubles.
The merchants had just adopted a rule
not to trust any employee longer than
fifteen days, and In the awful times of
suffering this was like lighted torch in a
powder-house. The men determined TO act
at once. The result of their conferences
with Managers Brown and Middleton. and
the final refusal OF George NJ. Pullman
and Vice-President Wickes TO arbitrate
the differences or consider the demands
OF the employees for more pay or less
rent are well known.
Notwithstanding positive promise that
no member of the committee asking
for conference should be discharged,
IL Is asserted by the men that several
OF their number were denied work In
the shops because they had presumed 10
seek the right of arbitration.
On the night of May 10th the strike
was ordered, and the great fight began.
Such IL a brief story of the events
which produced the present widespread
conflict, now promising TO become historic
as the greatest uprising OF the century.
HOW THE REDUCTION WORKED.
The other afternoon at the strike head.
quarters in Kensington the Traveller cor.
respondent met the leaders of the Pull
man employees. IT. w. Heathcote Ia
chairman of the Ways and Means Com
mittee. or. as he is called. president OF
the Executive Committee. n. w Brown
and Theodore Rhode are the vice-presi.
dents.
% opa ~ tho v,og<