A civilized society is often divided into classes where each has its specific and unique characteristics. As a result, there are layers of civil masses, and the conditions for existence are not always equal. One of the most important aspects of any society is the working class, and the way labor is viewed and qualified by a part of the population. In a particular case of the Pullman strike, it is obvious that the workers had serious reasons to organize a protest and demand the betterment of wages and conditions, as the higher management was behaving unfairly.
The Pullman strike had several reasons why the workers were not pleased. One of the major ones was the constant lowering of wages. Even though a lot of workers were skilled and greatly contributed to the company, year after year their salary was decreased. Eventually, people were unable to support themselves and their families. It became difficult to pay rent, buy food and other necessities (Carwardine 105). Thus, the claims made by the workers are very much understandable. It is unjust from all perspectives that workers were malnourished and had no strength to perform their duties. People who were unfairly fired or blacklisted were forced out of work. In case they applied somewhere else, they could not get a proper reference from their previous company, so their “identity” was unfairly marred (Silver 21).
Today, workers have many more rights than previously. It would be outrageous to see this sort of thing in the civilized world, even though some countries still have poor working conditions and low salary. In relation to Pullman Factory, I would be on the workers’ side because the conditions they were suscepted to were demeaning and illegal. It is a fact that the society and the general population of a country are the moving force in the workplace. Industrialization has since been instrumental in the labor movement and opportunities that were gained by individuals. Separation between classes became even more obvious, and there have been numerous personal and social factors that are now involved which were not considered in the past. Even today, the separation comes from the specific qualities of each kind of a working force. In the beginning of the 19th century, unions and strikes were undesirable by managers, as they were taking advantage of the workers and did not want them to rebel against authority.
The sort of environment present at the Pullman Factory has led to conditions that outraged people. This means that people had little opportunity to break away from the established order and take place amongst those with all the privileges. People wanted to base society and labour on equality, which was gaining little support of the elite. The strikes of people displeased with conditions were a clear indication that something had to be done. As these cases are relatively recent, many countries are still in the process of bettering the working environment, wages and division between classes.
It is a fact that labor rights, unions and conditions that are being bettered or worsened, have a great influence on the society. It is obvious that people must use their skills to advance the world around them and the workplace. Strikes and unions will exist as long as the work environments are unfair to the workers and their families.
Works Cited
Carwardine, William. The Pullman Strike. 1894. Web.
Silver, Beverly. Forces of Labor: Workers’ Movements and Globalization Since 1870. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2003. Print.