The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire was an event that held relevance in American history. On March, 25, 1911 at approximately 4:40 PM a fire broke out in the company's factory in New York City which was the deadliest industrial disaster. 147 workers died in that incident, they either died from the fire or jumped from the window. It was considered the most tragic fire incident in New York City. "The fire led to legislation requiring improved factory safety standards and helped spur the growth of the International Ladies' Garment workers' Union, which fought for better and safer working conditions for sweatshop workers in that industry" (Wikipedia) The fire occurred due to the poor and unsafe working condition in the factory.
About 4000 members of the power union voted to strike, in a move to increase their wages that were set by the Duquesne Light Company. The city’s power supply was reduced to 45 per cent when Duquesne Light Company employees failed to report for work. The Union President George Mueller was sentenced to one year in jail because he inspired the strike. The labor leaders of Pittsburgh supported Mueller’s. George Mueller’s arrest caused eight thousand steel and electrical workers in the Pittsburgh district to strike in protest.
Labor Union strikes were the most prominent form of worker insurrection against employers. During the period of 1875-1900, many labor unions participated in strikes, however many of them failed to achieve their goals. The biggest reason that farmers and workers went on strike was clearly stated by a machinist before the Senate Committee on Labor and Capital. Because machines were taking jobs away, workers would lose their livelihood, and most likely their only source of income. In the year of 1877, employees working for the four largest railroads went on strike due to the fact that their employers cut their wages by 10 percent; this was known as the Great Rail Road Strike.
The Lowell Mill Girls were fed up with the mistreatment. They decided to protest. “One of the first strikes of cotton-factory operatives that ever took place in this country was that in Lowell, in October, 1836. When it was announced that the wages were to be cut down, great indignation was felt, and it was decided to strike, en masse. This was done.
Immigrants worked in sweatshops that were dangerous. Many immigrant workers were killed and injured (OK). Even young children worked in these dangerous factories (OK). Reformers and Progressives got laws passed to prohibit child labor. They also got a minimum wage set for women (Document 3).
Friday, April 26, 2013 - 12:00pm PDT by JONATHAN NETTLER Architecture, South Asia 5 1 0 As the death tool passes 300 from the horrific collapse of an 8-story garment factory in Dhaka, Bangladesh, thoughts turn to New York City's Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire of 1911. Can some good follow this disaster, as it did in New York? The nototrious Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire was New York City's second deadliest disaster until the collapse of the World Trade Center in 2001. It was also the instigation for significant reforms in working conditions and building safety. According to Wikipedia, as a result of the fire that killed 146 garment workers, "[n]ew laws mandated better building access and egress, fireproofing requirements, the availability of fire extinguishers, the installation of alarm systems and automatic sprinklers, better eating and toilet facilities for workers, and limited the number of hours that women and children could work."
Gerri Landau “Silkwood” Silkwood is a true story about Karen Silkwood, a laboratory worker at the Kerr-McGee Plutonium recycling plant who threw herself into union work in hopes of putting an end to the radiation poisoning of their employees. This is a movie about a whistleblower and the effective involvement of labor unions. Karen has gotten a coworker to cover her shift and learns about the temporary shutting down of the plant due to contamination in their section. A friend of Karen’s becomes contaminated and this is when she decides to be proactive against it. Most of Karen’s coworkers believe she has had some involvement with the contamination.
No Way Out: Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Tragedy Monee Crosswhite Las Animas High School Abstract No Way Out: Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Tragedy Americans, to this day, do not realize the rights and privileges they have with their jobs and how lucky they are to have managers who are responsible enough to protect them. This was not always the case as illustrated in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory tragedy. The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire took place in March of 1911, after a garment caught on fire, it resulted in the death of 146 workers. The tragedy left its mark in history and galvanized a nation to make sure more precaution would be taken by business owners, and an industrial disaster would never happen again. From left, Max Florin, Fannie Rosen, Dora Evans and Josephine Cammarata, four of the six victims who were the last to be identified after the Triangle Shirtwaist Company factory fire.
The factory was quite roomy compared to most other shops, and they had installed modern electric sewing machines. The fire killed 148 mostly young female immigrant workers 64 of whom jumped from 9 stories up to avoid burning alive. If you would like to see pictures of the fire and aftermath follow this link. http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=Triangle+shirtwaist+fire&id=FBD92E685C20C23989B4CACCE42E8037BBFD004D&FORM=IQFRBA 2 Significance of the fire The fire at Triangle Shirtwaist Company caused a stir in the consciousness of this nation. It brought out how bad and dangerous the working conditions were for many Americans at that time.
On May seventh 1915 there was a very sad tragic day for 128 Americans and families. A “merchant” ship known as the Lusitania was sailing close to the shore where German U-boats like to hang around and was torpedoed and had many people die from an explosion. The British still to this day blame it all on the Germans. But as I go on in my paper you will realize that Germany was justified to sink the boat. Fist off, the Germans had warned them weeks maybe even months back, that if any ships consulting or flying the British flag will be torpedoed after all passengers are off the ship; and this was published in the NEW YORK TIMES and all newspapers throughout the country.