March 25, 1911: The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York City
The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York City on March 25, 1911, was the deadliest industrial disaster in the history of the city of New York and resulted in the fourth highest loss of life from an industrial accident in U.S. history. It was also the second deadliest disaster in New York City after the burning of the General Slocum on June 15, 1904 until the destruction of the World Trade Center 90 years later. The fire caused the deaths of 146 garment workers, who died from the fire, smoke inhalation, or falling or jumping to their deaths. Most of the victims were recent Jewish and Italian immigrant women aged sixteen to twenty-three;[1][2][3] of the victims whose ages are known, the oldest victim was Providenza Panno at 43, and the youngest were 14-year-olds Kate Leone and "Sara" Rosaria Maltese.[4]
Because the managers had locked the doors to the stairwells and exits a common practice at the time to prevent pilferage and unauthorized breaks[5] many of the workers who could not escape the burning building jumped from the eighth, ninth, and tenth floors to the streets below. 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 working conditions for sweatshop workers.
The factory was located in the Asch Building, at 2329 Washington Place, now known as the Brown Building, which has been designated a National Historic Landmark and a New York City landmark.[6]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triangle_Shirtwaist_Factory_fire
Graybeard
(6,996 posts)Frances Perkins who became Secretary of Labor for FDR witnessed the horror in person. She joined with other reform minded New Yorkers such as Gov. Al Smith to pass workplace safety standards into law in NY State and soon these set the example for the rest of the country.
MattSh
(3,714 posts)Blanck and Harris (the owners) already had a suspicious history of factory fires. The Triangle factory was twice scorched in 1902, while their Diamond Waist Company factory burned twice, in 1907 and in 1910. It seems that Blanck and Harris deliberately torched their workplaces before business hours in order to collect on the large fire-insurance policies they purchased, a not uncommon practice in the early 20th century. While this was not the cause of the 1911 fire, it contributed to the tragedy, as Blanck and Harris refused to install sprinkler systems and take other safety measures in case they needed to burn down their shops again.
Added to this delinquency were Blanck and Harris' notorious anti-worker policies. Their employees were paid a mere $15 a week, despite working 12 hours a day, every day. When the International Ladies Garment Workers Union led a strike in 1909 demanding higher pay and shorter and more predictable hours, Blanck and Harris' company was one of the few manufacturers who resisted, hiring police as thugs to imprison the striking women, and paying off politicians to look the other way.
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history
Sherman A1
(38,958 posts)Good additional information. Much Appreciated!
OrwellwasRight
(5,170 posts)Tragic. Unnecessary. Preventable. Inhumane.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/18/world/asia/bangladesh-factory-fire-caused-by-gross-negligence.html?_r=0
Bangladesh Finds Gross Negligence in Factory Fire
By JULFIKAR ALI MANIK and JIM YARDLEY
DHAKA, Bangladesh Criminal charges for unpardonable negligence should be brought against the owner of the Bangladesh garment factory where a fire killed 112 people last month, according to a preliminary report from a government inquiry submitted Monday.
The owner of the factory cannot be indemnified from the death of large numbers of workers from this fire, Main Uddin Khandaker, the official who led the inquiry, said in an interview. Unpardonable negligence of the owner is responsible for the death of workers.
The Nov. 24 fire at the Tazreen Fashions factory, where workers were making clothes for global retailers like Walmart and Sears, has focused attention on the unsafe work conditions and low wages at many garment factories in Bangladesh, the No. 2 exporter of apparel after China. The fire also has exposed flaws in the system that monitors the industrys global supply chain: Walmart and Sears say they had no idea their apparel was being made there.
Mr. Khandaker submitted a 214-page report to Bangladeshs Home Ministry on Monday, blaming the factory owner, Delowar Hossain, for negligence and saying that nine of his midlevel managers and supervisors prevented employees from leaving their sewing machines even after a fire alarm sounded.
[Go to link for more.]