The Pullman Strike was a nationwide railroad strike by workers in 1894 that followed the Great Panic of 1893. The strike was called because railroad workers were protesting the cuts in wages and salaries that were put into place by the Pullman company, however, they were angered by the fact that their rents at company houses and other major expenses in company owned towns were not cut as well as the economy turned south. Therefore, the workers led a nationwide strike in the hopes of increasing wages and improving their conditions.