A Pullman Craftsworker Pullman Palace cars were known for their luxurious details. Here, a painter working in the 1890s applies elaborate decoration to the exterior of a Pullman car. The Pullman workers’ strike in 1894 stemmed in part from the company’s efforts to undermine the status of craftsworkers by reducing them to low-paid piecework. The fight to control the workplace contributed to the labor wars of the 1890s.