Yesterday, I stood with thousands of other people at the spot of one of the great workplace tragedies in the country's history--the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire. It was the 100th anniversary of the fire. The tragedy, though, helped usher in a movement for workplace safety and dignity on the job. I thought I'd share some of the photos from the event, with a modest amount of commentary.
Some quick facts that I was reminded of, or learned for the first time:
In just 18 minutes, the fire had killed the 146 workers, either by burning alive victims or forcing them to jump to their deaths to the streets below.
The two owners heard about the fire--and fled for their lives without warning the workers or opening up the doors, which had been locked.
A young woman by the name of Frances Perkins lived just down the street and witnessed the fire and the deaths of the workers. It was a pivotal moment in her life--and she went on to become the first woman ever to hold a Cabinet position when FDR appointed her as Secretary of Labor, a post from which she played a central role in advocating for New Deal legislation. The Labor Department main building is named after Perkins.
Ok, so, below you can see the windows--adorned with bunting for the memorial--where workers jumped to their deaths. I could not help but stare at those windows and imagine the terror they felt
Another moving piece of the theater: 146 keys on a stick...keys the owners, if they had not locked the workers in or fled caring about their own lives first, could have used to save the workers:
The most moving part, at least to me, were the garments that were carried aloft by children and other union supporters with the names of those who had perished in the fire. The garments were replicas of what those workers would have been making at the time the fire broke out: The “shirtwaist”—a woman’s blouse—was a very hot fashion item at the time and could be worn either at work or during leisure time, and certainly had a lot more comfort than a corset. The chilly light wind helped give the garments a bit of life--and we should remember that the people who were killed had names and lives:
What happened the next day?
The next morning, throughout New York’s garment district, more than 15,000 shirtwaist makers walked out. They demanded a 20-percent pay raise, a 52-hour workweek and extra pay for overtime. The local union, along with the Women’s Trade Union League, held meetings in English and Yiddish at dozens of halls to discuss plans for picketing. When picketing began the following day, more than 20,000 workers from 500 factories had walked out. More than 70 of the smaller factories agreed to the union’s demands within the first 48 hours.
Meanwhile, the fiercely anti-union owners of the Triangle factory met with owners of the 20 largest factories to form a manufacturing association. Many of the strike leaders worked there, and the Triangle owners wanted to make sure other factory owners were committed to doing whatever it took—from using physical force (by hiring thugs to beat up strikers) to political pressure (which got the police on their side)—to not back down.
Days later, 350,000 people marched in a memorial for the workers--think of that...350,000 people marching 100 years ago would be a million people in the streets today.
Eventually:
In February 1910, the strike finally was settled. The few remaining factories rehired the strikers, agreed to higher wages and shorter hours and recognized the union in name only, resisting a closed shop. Local 25, which prior to the strike represented only a few hundred members, now had more than 20,000. However, workers at Triangle went back to work without a union agreement. Management never addressed their demands, including unlocked doors in the factory and fire escapes that functioned.
NEVER FORGET. ALWAYS REMEMBER THEM. FIGHT FOR THE LIVING.