Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire
On March 25, 2020 it will be the 109th Anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in Manhattan, New York City that occurred on March 25, 1911. The 500 workers located on the eighth, ninth, and tenth floors of the Asch building did everything they could to escape, but the poor conditions, locked doors, and faulty fire escape caused 146 to die in the fire.
This was the deadliest industrial disaster in the history of the city, and one of the deadliest in U.S. history. The fire caused the deaths of 146 garment workers – 123 women and 23 men – who died from the fire, smoke inhalation, or falling or jumping to their deaths. Because the owners had locked the doors to the stairwells and exits – a then-common practice to prevent workers from taking unauthorized breaks and to reduce theft – many of the workers could not escape and jumped from the high windows to their deaths.
The fire led to legislation requiring improved factory safety standards and helped spur the growth of the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union (ILGWU), which fought for better working conditions and wages for sweatshop workers.
The large number of deaths in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire exposed the dangerous conditions in high-rise factories and prompted the creation of new building, fire, and safety codes around the United States that are still used today.
The Triangle Shirtwaist Company had made their owners rich, largely because they exploited their workers. Approximately 500 people, mostly immigrant women, worked at the Triangle Shirtwaist Company's factory in the Asch Building. They worked long hours, six days a week, in cramped quarters and were paid low wages. Many of the workers who were young women; some only age 13 or 14 years old.
In 1909, shirtwaist factory workers from around the city went on strike for an increase in pay, shorter work week, and the recognition of a union. Though many of the other shirtwaist companies eventually agreed to the strikers' demands, the Triangle Shirtwaist Company owners never did. Conditions at the Triangle Shirtwaist Company factory remained poor.
Several workers threw pails of water on the fire, but it quickly grew out of control. Workers then tried to use the fire hoses that were available on each floor, for one last attempt to put out the fire; however, when they turned the water valve on, no water came out.
Everyone rushed to escape the fire. Some ran to the four elevators. Built to carry a maximum of 15 people each, they quickly filled with 30. There wasn't time for many trips to the bottom and back up before the fire reached the elevator shafts as well.
Others ran to the fire escape. Though about 20 reached the bottom successfully, about 25 others died when the fire escape buckled and collapsed.
Many on the eighth and ninth floors were stuck. The elevators were no longer available, the fire escape had collapsed, and the doors to the hallways were locked (company policy). Many workers headed to the windows. The fire department was alerted to the fire. They rushed to the scene, raised their ladder, but it only reached to the sixth floor. Those on the window ledges started jumping to their deaths
The fire and the large number of deaths exposed the hazardous conditions and fire danger that was ubiquitous in these high-rise factories. Shortly after the Triangle fire, New York City passed a large number of fires, safety, and building codes and created stiff penalties for non-compliance. Other cities followed New York's example.
The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire would change the regulation by government of business. Before the fire government had mostly stayed away from business feeling it had no power to legislate it. After the fire government could not avoid instituting laws to protect the workers. Once the New York legislature enacted safety laws, other states in the US followed suit. Workers also began to look toward unions to voice their concerns over safety and pay. Samuel Gompers of the AFL had won a lot of trust and admiration by sitting in on The Factory Commission of 1911. The International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union also won support and led a march of 100,000 to tell the New York legislature to move into action. Unions gained numerous new workers who wanted someone to fight for their safety? Now employers in the US have a clear set of guidelines that they need to follow to ensure the safety of their employees.
If you don’t think it is important to have a union or join a union that will support you, back you up, fight for your safety, fight for higher pay, fight for a 40 hour work week, protect the workers interest not the owner’s interest; ask the 146 people that die in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire what they would say! If not for unions the owners of companies would be taking full advantage of you, paying you low wages in unsafe conditions without any recourse other then quit!
I’m proud to be a union member and so should you! Get involved make your voice heard! Attend union meetings; give to the Letter Carrier’s Political Fund so that we can elect the candidates that will protect your safety and health and the rights of working families!
