100th anniversary: Triangle Shirtwaist Fire

Jennifer Brunner sent an email to members of her mailing list to commemorate the anniversary of the historic fire credited with changing labor practices in the United States.  I thought I would share this snippet:

There are many commemorations that have taken place this week to remember the 146 young Italian and Jewish immigrant workers, mostly women, who died in the fire. Many jumped multiple floors to the sidewalks and to their deaths rather than being burned alive. For endless hours police officers held lanterns to light the bodies placed in numbered wooden coffins while crowds filed past. As the dead were identified, a coffin was closed and moved aside for the family to claim.

The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire brought increased political involvement of the International Ladies Garment Workers Union. It helped inspire Frances Perkins, who had actually witnessed the fire from the street below, to push for comprehensive safety and workers’ compensation laws when she became the U.S. Secretary of Labor in Franklin D. Roosevelt’s presidential administration as an early woman leader in U.S. government.

The factory owners were accused of and tried for purposely locking doors that would have allowed the women to escape. They were found not guilty to the disgust of many, and the legal and judicial system continued to downplay future safety transgressions after the fire.

You can follow the links above to find more information about this tragic and historic event.  Many people are calling the incident “The Day the New Deal Began.”  At the very least, we owe thanks to these women for many of the safety practices now in place for working women (and men) in the United States.