 The workers, many of whom were already members of the ARU, appealed for support to the union at its convention in Chicago, Illinois.Debs tried to persuade union members, who worked on the railways, that the boycott was too risky; given the hostility of the railways and the federal government, the weakness of the union and the possibility that other unions would break the strike.The membership ignored his warnings and refused to handle Pullman cars or any other railroad cars attached to them, including cars containing U.S. Mail.