In the depressed economy of 1893, the railcar manufacturer, Pullman Company, lays off hundreds of workers and reduces the wages of most others by as much as 30%. They do not, however, reduce rents, utility costs or store prices in the company town where many workers live, just outside of Chicago.

In the spring of 1894, unionized Pullman employees strike, but the company ignores their demands. Union president Eugene Debs calls for a boycott. Nationwide, rail workers refuse to work on trains with Pullman cars attached, effectively stopping all rail traffic west of Detroit. Vandalism and sabotage ensues.

Federal troops are called in. Confrontations between strikers and troops turn deadly, with more than 30 workers killed. Debs and other organizers are arrested, and the strike ends in failure.