Six day work weeks without availability of overtime pay are a thing of the past. It was the regular schedule on March 25, 1911 when the workers at the Triangle Waist Company were getting ready to end their shift, and week, on a Saturday afternoon. About 500 employees were crowded into the top three floors of a 10 story Greenwich Village building cutting and sewing shirtwaists, a popular garment of the day. A swift moving fire broke out and spread easily amid the cotton and paper components of the trade.
Blocked Entrances and Inadequate Fire Equipment
As workers tired to escape the flames they encountered locked or blocked exits and a fire escape collapsed. On the street fire fighters struggled with equipment that could not reach past the sixth floor of the building. on crowded streets and witnessed victims jumping to their death. 146 people died.
Immigrant Workers
Most of the victims were immigrants from Russia and Italy reflecting the migration of the early 20th century. Others had been born in Romania, Austria and one in Jamaica. Fewer than a dozen were native to the US. Many had been in the US for a few years or more than ten but some had only arrived a few months earlier.
I watched local kids walk to school this morning. On the morning of the Triangle fire a number of teenage girls walked to work, for these 14 to 18 year old young women high school was not an option.
Legislation, Women’s Rights and the Labor Movement
Much as the events of 9/11 galvanized New Yorkers the Triangle shirtwaist fire united the city in grief. Support for reform was strengthened by publicity about the working conditions. The tragedy has been described as pivotal for labor laws, building safety codes, women’s rights and the labor movement.
Whether you favor extending worker’s rights through legislation or oppose any regulation that restricts business I hope you agree that basic labor laws ensuring a safe workplace are essential. An unscrupulous employer may be prevented from to cutting corners that can result in underpayment of wages, injuries or fatalities while one who is well meaning uses the guidance effectively. Either way, no one should have to work in a death trap.
From The HR Answer Blog on www.AllBusiness.com.
