The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire of 1911

1. The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire of 1911 October 18, 2005

2. Background of the Fire • Triangle Shirtwaist Factory was a typical sweat factory located at the Asch Building in Manhatten • The factory employed primarily women • These women worked long hours in unsanitary and dangerous conditions • Max Blanck and and Isaac Harris were the owners of the factory and subcontracted the work to individuals

3. Background of the Fire • Subcontractors decided worker wages • They pocketed a lot of the profits • Owners didn’t know wages or number of workers • Lots of exploitation

5. Background of the Fire • Subcontractors took advantage of new immigrants • Insufficient wages to pay high rents • Children were hired in violation of child labor laws

7. Union Resistance • The International Ladies’ Garment Workers Union • 1909 walkout of 400 employees at Triangle Factory • At a meeting at Cooper Union, thousands of garment workers followed Clara Lemlich’s call for a general strike • Strike helped establish a grievance system • Many owners still disregarded workers’ rights

8. Local 25 Ladies Waist and Dress Makers Union

9. Ladies at City Hall

10. The Fire • On March 25, 1911 a fire broke out on the top floors of the Asch Building • Doors on the ninth floor were locked; owners said workers stole materials • Many workers were forced to jump out of windows so they wouldn’t burn to death • People passing by saw workers fall to their deaths

12. The Fire • Ladders could only reach to the 6th floor • Hoses couldn’t reach the top floors • 146 of the 500 employees died • New York City would never be the same

13. Ninth Floor of Asch Building

14. Tenth Floor of Asch Building

20. Public Reaction to Fire • People demanded restitution, justice, and action be taken • Outraged cries called for improving unsafe working conditions • Ladies’ Waist and Dress Makers’ Union Local No. 25 planned relief for survivors and families of victims

21. Public Reaction to Fire • Local 25 organized rally for workers • They distributed weekly pensions, cared for young workers and children, and secured work and proper living conditions • This wasn’t easy

22. The Factory Investigating Commission • Appointed by New York governor within a month of fire • For five years the commission conducted a series of hearings that led to passage of important factory legislation • Also helped create better standards of sanitation in New York factories

23. Justice? • Blanck and Harris were acquitted of any wrong doing • Owners claimed they didn’t know the doors had been locked • They ended up only paying $75 for each life lost in the fire

24. The Fire’s Place in History • The disaster touched off a national movement for safer working conditions, led to the creation of health and safety legislation, and helped shape future labor laws

25. Resources • http://www2.lhric.org/wh/wh4.html • http://www.csun.edu/~ghy7463/mw2.html • http://www.francesfarmersrevenge.com/stuff/archive/oldnews3/triangle.htm • http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/trianglefire/