The Pullman Strike occurred after the owner of the Pullman Company, George Pullman, reduced his workers wages during a recession. The workers went on strike and received the support of the American Railway Union (ARU). In an effort to convince the public to rally behind the worker’s cause, the ARU refused to carry any train that carried Pullman cars. President Grover Cleveland got the United States Army involved when it was determined the strike affected the transportation of mail.
William Taft was a Circuit Judge at the time, hearing cases in Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky, and Tennessee. He filed an injuction against ARU and the continued strike against trains with Pullman cars attached. When this injuction was ignored Taft judged one of ARU’s members guilty of contempt of court. Taft’s opinion on the matter was that the boycott by the ARU was a secondary boycott and had no direct ties to the Pullman workers attempts at gaining higher wages. The railroad workers had no right to boycott anything but the Pullman factory. The fact that the ARU tried to affect Pullman through the boycotting of other railway companies was illegal. This decision provided clarity about the how far the rights of labor extended to form unions and go on strike.
