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A comment on U-Haul to Implement Nicotine-Free Hiring Policy. Parent comment

Re:U-Haul to Implement Nicotine-Free Hiring Policy by ryanmarsh on Friday January 03, 2020 @01:13PM (#21948624)
From the Wikipedia article you reference: "When his company laid off workers and lowered wages, it did not reduce rents, and the workers called for a strike."

Was it the paternalistic policies or economic factors that caused the strike?

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Re:U-Haul to Implement Nicotine-Free Hiring Policy by CalChris on Friday January 03, 2020 @01:39PM (#21948895)
Both. The economic conditions of 1894 were the precipitating cause. The paternalistic policies were a contributing cause.

Pullman, Illinois was the definition of a company town.

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/economy/business-july-dec01-lab...

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Re:U-Haul to Implement Nicotine-Free Hiring Policy by smacktoward on Friday January 03, 2020 @01:40PM (#21948900)
The rent problem was the straw that broke the camel's back, but the paternalism was what inclined the workers to respond to it so forcefully. The workers in Pullman were already frustrated with the company, and then the rents-and-wages issue pushed the situation over the edge.
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