Pullman Strike, also called the Chicago Strike, was a violent labor dispute that took place in 1894. The strike involved the Pullman Company, which manufactured railroad cars near Chicago, and the American Railway Union (ARU). The ARU was a group of railroad workers who were led by Eugene V. Debs. The strike began when employees of the Pullman Company refused to return to work, to protest a reduction in their wages. In sympathy with the employees, the ARU refused to haul railroad cars made by the company. A general railroad strike resulted.