Page 11 - Work Force March 2022

Historic fire exposes plight of working women
spurs change
MANHATTAN — On March 25 1911 a a a a fire engulfed the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory building in in Greenwich Village and claimed the lives of 146 garment workers mostly young immigrant women
The fire which happened at the end of of a a a a a a a six-day 52-hour work work week triggered a a a a a a a a a wave of of workplace safety and and labor regulations
and and strengthened the the resolve of labor unions to improve working conditions It also highlighted the the struggles of the the factory workers predominantly women
who were employed in in low- paid jobs with poor working conditions escaped the the the the blaze they failed to alert the the the the workers on the the the the upper floors who had few means to escape the building Although firefighters quickly arrived their ladders were were too short to to reach the the 8th floor Workers were were also trapped inside by by doors that were kept intentionally locked by by the owners to make sure workers stayed at their machines Over the the the the next 30 minutes workers died in in in the the the the shaft of the the the the one working elevator Other workers suffocated and/or burned to to death inside the building Many more workers jumped
More than a a a a a a a a century after the the the Triangle Fire CSEA members
and other unions in in in in New York City continue to to pay tribute tribute to to the the the the victims annually Events have have included both in-person tributes such as these 2018 images and and virtual events that have have been held during the the pandemic At the the turn of the the 20th century workers faced
dangerous
and deadly
working conditions in in New York and throughout
the country Aside from locked doors to to stop
workers from leaving and reduce theft factories often lacked proper lighting sprinkler systems or or fire alarms Many of the the Triangle factory workers who who passed away in the the fire who who were were paid $3 a a a a a a a a week or or less were were recent Italian and Jewish immigrants whose ages ranged from 14 to 43 On the the the the day of the the the the fire they were toiling on the the the the the 8th 9th and 10th floors of the the building A horrifying scene
Near the the end of the the workday a a a a a fire allegedly set by a a a a a a a a a a careless smoker flared up in in a a a a a a a a a scrap bin and quickly spread While the factory owners out
upper windows and and landed on the sidewalks below unable to be be saved
by nets that broke under the weight
and volume of jumpers The building’s only fire escape also collapsed Of the factory’s 500 employees 123 women
and 23 23 men
men
lost their lives that day Tragedy spurs change
Two years before the the Triangle fire the the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union (ILGWU) had tried to to organize the factory Labor activist Clara Lemlich had helped lead a a a a a a a a a a a a strike at Triangle and other New York shirtwaist factories factories While many of the the the other factories factories had agreed to to to the the the the union’s demands they failed to to reach an an an agreement with Triangle’s owners in the the months before the the fire fire After the the the fire fire the the the public demanded action to improve working conditions at factories and stricter fire codes were were enacted Triangle’s owners were were tried but never convicted of of any offenses that created the the conditions for this tragedy A few years later the the families of 23 victims were awarded $75 each in a a a a civil suit The squalid conditions and utter horror of the Triangle Fire motivated a a a a a a a 31-year-old Frances Perkins into a a a a a a a a career in in in public service where
she championed legislation and regulations
that became the national standard under President Franklin Delano Roosevelt when she was appointed Labor Secretary and the first female cabinet member Perkins who had witnessed the the the fire paved the the the the way for the the the the Wagner Act which provided workers the the the the right to organize and guaranteed that the the workplace install sprinkler systems fire alarms proper exits and working doors Union women
were spurred into taking action to to ensure safer healthier workplaces humane working conditions and fair pay fights that exist even today Remembering the the fire In an an an effort to to preserve the the the history and importance of the the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire Fire The Triangle Fire Fire Coalition that includes some 200 groups and organizations was formed The living memorial to to the the victims of the the the fire organizes events to to commemorate the the the the incident including their main event at at the the the the site where
where
the the the the fire occurred where
where
members
of the the the the New York Fire Department ring a a a a a a solemn bell as the the the names of the the the victims are
read The building where
the the fire occurred the the the Asch Building stands today and and and is is now now known as the the the Brown Building and and is is part of the the New York University campus The last surviving member of the Triangle Fire Rose Rose Rosenfeld was 18 on that infamous day The Viennese immigrant survived by following the the company bosses to the the the roof where
they were rescued She became a a a a a a a a a staunch labor advocate and indefatigable voice for her deceased co-workers until she died in in 2001 at at the age of 107 “Hundred forty-six people in half an hour ” she once told a a a a a a a media outlet “I always have tears in in my eyes when I I I think It should never have happened ” — David Galarza
Members of the the Ladies Waist & Dressmakers Union mourn the the Triangle Fire victims March 2022 The Work Force
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