Centennial of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire
By Brian Schoeneman | Friday, March 25th, 2011 | Catch-All
It was a regular Saturday afternoon, cold and clear, March 25, 1911. The concepts of a “weekend,” and the five day, 40 hour work week were decades from realization. The 500 or so workers of the Triangle Waist Company were on the job, churning out women’s blouses. The workforce was largely female, largely immigrant and largely between the ages of 18 and 23. Some were as young as 14 years old. They had a tough job, working six days a week, nine hours a day during the week and seven on Saturday. The pay was horrible and the conditions were worse, but it was a job – some of the only gainful employment these young women could find. It was just another sweatshop in the garment district of Manhattan.
That Saturday began the same way every Saturday did at the Triangle Factory. But it didn’t end that way. It ended in a tragedy.
Around 4:45 pm, near the end of the workday and when most had been preparing to leave, a fire broke out on the 8th floor in a bin filled with scraps that had been accumulating for months. It’s not certain what caused the fire, with claims that sparks from the machines or an errant match or cigarette could have been responsible. Regardless of the cause, the fire spread rapidly, and quickly consumed the 8th floor of the Asch Building at 23-29 Washington Place.
The Asch Building didn’t have fire alarms. Sprinkler systems, which had been in use in textile mills in the northeast as early as the 1850s and had become common in commercial buildings by the 1900s, weren’t installed either. The primary fire suppression system were pails of water that were kept on hand. On the 9th floor, which was totally consumed by the fire, a barrel of oil for the machines sat open under a window. The internal fire escape – the only in the building – was old and rusted. Exit doors were locked or swung inward, making them difficult to open. Wicker baskets full of scraps were scattered under the long rows of sewing machines the young women sat hovered over. The building owners and the Triangle owners claimed that the building was “fireproof” – which it was, full of asbestos that wouldn’t burn. But the people they employed weren’t fireproof, and little provision had been made for their safety. And many of the doors to the exits on these floors were locked.
As the flames spread rapidly from the 8th to the 9th and 10th floors, the factory descended into pandemonium. Panicking women crowded the elevators until the fire made them unworkable. They crammed against doors that were locked, some crushed to death. The fire escape collapsed under the weight of so many bodies trying to use it. Others didn’t make it that far, and the charred remains of 50 workers were found on the 9th floor alone. Workers fled to the windows.
Crowds of bystanders started flocking to see what was happening, as fire engines rushed to the scene. The bystanders watched as women, faced with a no-win scenario, chose to jump to their deaths rather than be burned alive in the flames. Witnesses recall seeing a young man and young woman kissing in a window before the pair jumped to their deaths. The building was soon cordoned off, but the crowd – hysterical at the sights before them – almost overwhelmed police. Firefighters had difficulty approaching the building because of the falling workers.
Even those that could get close enough could do little to help. The firefighters were unable to rescue survivors, as their ladders only reached as high as the sixth floor. And the height was such that their nets weren’t strong enough to catch people who were jumping.
By nightfall, 146 men and women were dead. Some of their bodies were so badly burned that they remained unidentified until February 2011. That’s right – last month. The Triangle Shirtwaist fire was the worst industrial accident in New York City’s history, and the fourth worst industrial accident in American history.
The owners of Triangle were charged with manslaughter, but were acquitted. They eventually were forced to pay $75 to each of the families of the victims after they lost a civil suit. Two years later, one of the owners of Triangle was fined $20 for locking the doors of his factory again.
The aftermath of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire still reaches out from history to touch us today. The fire became a rallying call for labor reform throughout New York and the nation, and was instrumental in the passage of sweeping new labor laws in New York in the second decade of the 20th century. Those laws became the model for the modern system of labor law that exists today. Beyond labor law, the Triangle fire was the pivotal event in the history of fire codes in the United States. Today, we all work in safer buildings, largely because of the sacrifice of the workers at Triangle. The impact of the Triangle fire on American history cannot be understated.
This year is the centennial of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire. When I am often asked by my Republican friends how I can support the labor movement, I remind them of events like Triangle. It took a tragedy to bring about common sense reforms. While we have come far from the days of Triangle, many of the reforms and the protections workers enjoy today without question were fought for and bargained for because of events like Triangle. And, just as often, they only came about because of needless tragedies like Triangle. All too often we legislate in reaction to tragedy, rather than legislate to prevent it. The lessons of the Triangle fire are still there, waiting for a new generation to learn and discover them.
But most important, we must never forget.
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About the author
A veteran political professional, long-time Republican party activist and attorney Brian W. Schoeneman has been offering his opinions at Bearing Drift since 2010. He serves on the Board of Virginia Line Media, LLC, which operates Bearing Drift and spends his days representing the U.S. Merchant Marine in Washington, D.C. He hails from Fairfax County, Virginia, where he lives with his wife and son.
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22 Responses to "Centennial of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire"
Good post on the history Brian.
I saw an article about this yesterday desperately trying to link this horrific event to the events that unfolded this month in Wisconsin. The gist being that we’re in store for another tragedy similar to this in Wisconsin because Governor Walker stripped collective bargaining.
Nothing could be further from the truth and any attempt at such a connection is manipulative nonsense.
I wouldn’t go that far. I think the labor movement and the nation in general have changed quite a bit in the last hundred years, for the better.
If anything, the tragedy is a milepost along the road we’ve been travelling, and it’s heartening to see how far we’ve come since then.
People don’t remember this history but it’s important that we teach it.
I had my chemistry classes in that building.
Thanks for the posting, Brian.
Unfortunately, Triangle Shirt was not the last time workers died in an industrial fire because of locked fire exits. It happened as recently as September 3, 1991 in a chicken processing plant in North Carolina. 25 workers died in the fire and 54 were injured. The fire exits were locked to prevent employees from sneaking stolen product out of the plant. The owners of the plant went to prison for 20 years, which considering the loss of life and the egregious nature of the fire and safety violations was a very light sentence. However, it seemed to get the attention of plant operators. Another fire in a Con-Agra chicken plant in Maxton, NC, just one year ago resulted in no deaths or injuries.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamlet_chicken_processing_plant_fire
Bonnie and Clyde helped enhance the relationship between local government and the FBI, institute two-way radios in police cars and made outlaw’s lifestyle more difficult. I guess a union can have their day too…even if it was capitalizing off a 100-year old tragedy.
The Census has just proven that only a Hurricane can destroy a city more than a union can. In the Motor City, after seeing a peak population of 1.5M in the 1950s, it would drop to 900K in 2000 and now 725K. As car production worldwide (and in Mexico) increases, US production declines.
When it comes to schools, according to a 2006 study from OECD, US ranks 25th out of 30 nations ranking in Math behind Estonia, Slovenia and Azerbaijan. We spend the most per student than any other country. That is just pathetic, especially to the fact that unions are demanding more.
When people associated with unions are talking about destroying the currency…they’ve reached an all time low. No matter why they need a PR campaign in full swing.
John, so there’s nothing else out there that could possibly be the reason why Detroit has lost so many people – it has to be the unions causing it? I think it’s amusing that you’re pointing out car manufacturing going to Mexico and the first thing that comes to mind for you is unions. Ironic.
It sounds like you’re looking for a scapegoat, rather than looking for solutions.
I could water down every problem with mundane details but you cannot deny the massive bureaucracy unions cause, eventually tying the hands of the employer to where the business eventually dissolves.
We have the NFL demanding the owners’ books so they can make informed decisions. People give NO credit to businesses and industries that provide these opportunities. They just make demands like they own the business demanding every profit made. While NFL players like Adrian Peterson is running around making $10M…screaming it’s not enough and he’s a slave. But these owners are now hostage to these players unions and soon the NFL will collapse. It would have if it wasn’t a monopoly…just like Hollywood.
Then you have the fabulous singers and Hollywood promotes Gwyneth Paltrow and Jamie Fox. Two people who couldn’t hold a candle to the worst singer on any of American Idol’s finalist. Charlie Sheen is in self destruct mode and where’s the Screen Actor’s Guild? We all know how that ends, as we have seen so many do?
Besides…I’m pointing out a trend with the lackluster performance of unions in our school systems and in auto dealerships and amongst any types of industries, there’s a trend. The collapse of corporations.
I will give you credit that political legislation doesn’t help but you cannot make excused for such a demand for vehicles went up worldwide and we cannot make things better and cheaper. As I figured I would the politicians a break on this one, besides the conversations is about unions. They are a great demise in our manufacturing issues.
It sounds as though your looking for a scape goat because your the one looking for another excuse. I’ve given you four examples of unions that are destroying their industry or have destroyed it.
No…the first thing that comes to mind is thugs. Mexico is just another example of my many that was given.
You haven’t given examples of anything. You have four non-sequiturs lumped together with a union thug epithet. It’s incoherent.
Then what’s the excuse for the decline in Detroit since it’s not unions?
I just statement what I thought of when unions come to mind…thugs is the first thing to come to mind, not Mexico.
Brian, very much enjoyed your retelling. I agree; every American worker enjoys safe[r] and cleaner workplace conditions, 40-hour workweeks, and plenty of worker protections because of tragedies like Triangle Fire, strikes in the manner of the 20,000 NYC shirtwaist workers walk-out, and solidarity similar to the 350,000 that walked the Triangle Funeral March.
What were the shirtwaist ladies’ demands? A 52-hour workweek, extra pay for overtime, and a 20% raise. At the time shirtwaist makers averaged $6/ week [about $135/week 2011 COL adjusted], worked 13-hour days – 7 days a week – and in some factories were required to provide their own supplies and machines.
Triangle’s doors were locked because there were no inside restroom facilities. Women had to leave the building for this purpose and management wanted to control work interruptions.
Regardless of position on Wisconsin – or 21st century public or private unions – hopefully we all agree much is owed to the dead and the brave. Great post!
John Jackson, 6+ reasons for Detroit’s decline to consider:
1. 1950’s Interstate Highway Act – Large numbers of middle class families left cities for green grass, cheap land and the suburban lifestyle.
2. 1967 Detroit riots – Accelerated white flight.
3. Late 70s into 80s – Black families w/ resources (no longer barred by de-facto segregation) also migrated to the suburbs.
4. Decreased city population caused declining (decimated) tax base.
5. Rampant crime, political corruption, high unemployment, and incompetence under Mayor Young’s 20-year administration.
6. America shed its industrial base.
Middle class union wages, great benefits, employment stability, and strong unions during prosperous times actually built Detroit and made it a great place to live. 50+ years of steady population migration/decline plus Mayor Young’s management cut its knees off … and state/federal dollars keep it breathing long past the ‘expires on’ date, IMO.
John Jackson,
There were no labor unions in the Roman Empire yet it collapsed, plunging Western Europe into the Dark Ages. Explain please.
Jay D,
Detroit was a great place to live because of the auto industry…not the unions. As it appears you have accepted the future of our auto industry, I look at it as a shame that Americans are not allowed be be innovative enough to be competitive for an extremely high worldwide demand for automobiles.
As my point was directed toward Detroit’s population decline since 1999, I’ll go with the debate from 1935. The Auto Workers Union was founded in 1935 and they didn’t just become and demand a better environment. All the items you address are even more justification to the PERSPECTIVE OF UNIONS that I have—it creates an entitlement mentality.
So, you mention several items all that contribute to American corporations/manufacturer’s inability to compete with the rest of the world. And this is brought about to the corporation’s inability to be innovative to the world’s demand for automobiles.—hence Motor City’s population decline and America’s inability to compete with foreign companies.
HisRoc,
Rome was brought down by a society that accepted they were entitled to special privileges with no effort, a sort of entitlement mentality that we see exercised today. And they believed the propaganda of the one’s in power.
Labor Unions practice this on a microcosm in today’s industry—the fall of Rome many times over. I see the teachers unions, autoworkers, actors guild and players unions as just another microcosm of Rome’s falling…just by different names. These minions follow their political powerhouse – Dick Trumpka, Andy Stern or whoever their political representative may be. Demanding the evil corporate powers or government politicians pay at whatever costs…because they are Romans.
JJ, Detroit was a great place to live because of the auto industry and the unions working together. The UAW declined at the same time Detroit did. You can’t blame one for the decline of the other. That’s simply not accurate. Detroit lost steam when they stopped making cars people wanted to buy. That wasn’t the union’s fault. They built what they were told to build.
Most union members don’t have an entitlement mentality. That’s just not accurate. If anything, they simply want a voice in their workplace and to be given a fair wage in exchange for a hard day’s work. There’s nothing wrong with that.
Rome wasn’t brought down by any one thing, but the idea of a sense of entitlement certainly wasn’t one of them. Roman society had long been characterized with a small number of highly influential and rich guys at the top and a huge number of poor and slaves. What really killed Rome was when they stopped putting a premium on military service for the elite classes and when the armies started paying more allegiance to their generals than to the city.
I don’t know where you’re getting your concept of what unions are or what they do, but it doesn’t seem to match up well to reality. Nobody is saying they’re perfect, but they aren’t the diabolical miscreants you’re painting them to be.
Most union workers are fabulous people and you’re an example even though I disagree with your union premise…it is not about them or you. It’s about the stagnant bureaucracy created by a union that ties the true decision maker’s hands, providing an environment of entitlement and inability to instill innovation to keep up with market demands.
Business owners spend their lives creating a business, shareholders/taxpayers take the risk and when unions enter that business, they lose the ability to control these essential details that affect the growth of their business. When in a business, there are some hard decisions that need to be made; risks to be taken and circumstances happen.
I know your passion for unions is strong and I respect that. The decline in American Exceptionalism is tied to this entitlement mentality to where people feel that others are obligated to pay for their luxuries. Unions create this environment.
Brian: I enjoyed your historical post. I have to agree union members are just hard working American’s who want to be successful and live the American Dream. It is a shame to see them targeted like criminals…
I have been an active union member since 1995, a shop steward, a battalion representative, Virginia Beach local union President and Vice President of the State Firefighters and I can say with pride that union members care about the community, their employers and their joint successful futures. As a whole, union membership is not corrupt, thuggish nor the cause of the decline in America’s industrial base. It is strength in cause and unifying approach to issues that surface in the workplace. Unions are not baby sitters and are not responsible for the activity criminal, social or societal of the members when they are not in the work place. It’s a job union not a life union…
I have seen first hand the tactics used by employers to work around safety, over-time and staffing requirements increasing the risks to the community and the union members to save a buck. Yes indeed, times have changed and union membership is not the be all/end all it was at the turn of the century’s industrial age but there are times and places that scream out for union activity and strength. I’m proud to support my fellow workers, our employers and those workers in America (union or not) who benefit from the efforts that created 40 hour work weeks, job safety laws, holiday pay and retirement income.
By and large, union members are good people who just do their best to do a good job… it is sad to se political folks targeting union members…
Any way, good article.
John, entitlement thinking is an almost assured outcome when voters expect (and get!) largess in exchange for votes. Poor and working class constituencies want social & welfare returns while middle and upper tier taxpayers expect credits and tax breaks. Everyone is dipping from the government trough – we all have the bug!
It will be interesting to watch if/how political leaders can to break the addiction and how folks (that believe entitlement thinking is someone else’s disease) react when their favorite government gimme comes up for cutting.
Mike & Brian: possibly too durn reasonable for BD, but WTH ~ Big mistake to lump all unions into one basket. IMO, each situation deserves independent scrutiny, as each situation/ relationship is dependent upon:
- Quality of union leadership
- Type of workers/ members
- Industry specifics
- Rules of negotiation
- Corporate interests
- Quality of corporate leadership
- Working conditions
- Competitive pressures, etc.
It’s impossible to reasonably discuss UAW, IAFF, SIU, SEIU, AFT, AFSCME, etc. using one broad brush.
Great post, Brian.
While I still believe in right-to-work, and it is undeniable that in some circumstances unions have over-demanded and hurt the very industry that may be employing them (highly counter-intuitive), this tragedy still moved employment refrom in the right direction. Thanks for sharing it.
@Jay D,
Nothing has combated entitlement thinking or the war on poverty than great jobs. And not all voters expect returns for their votes. Most believe that the government has regulated too much and need to be rolled back, the incandescent light bulb is a bright reminder.
@William Bailey,
With the recent passing of diabetes being a part of the Disability Act and similar anti-corporate legislation, just operating a business is a crime against community safety.
Brian,
If you understand demand, then you understand that the window of opportunity doesn’t wait for contract negotiations. …and if your not able to take advantage of that opportunity, then your corporation eventually goes away. It appears a lot of people feel corporations exist to provide jobs but they exist to fill a demand. When a union and corporation can work in unison, they all can prosper but it appears the two have difficulty coexisting.
My opinion of union thugs begin with the beating of Kenny Gladney in St. Louis, MO, the busing of union members to Bank of America’s exec’s homes in Rockville, MD and Nina Easton, a next door neighbor was targeted when she spoke of the incident. Do I need to bring up Steve Lerner and the plan to collapse the dollar and Wade Rathke proudly boasts that Steve has been on paid leave since September to think about his contributions to the union. Late last year, my very first blog experience was with a union thug attacking me as a racist because of my opposition to healthcare. That goes a little beyond collective bargaining or its a job union not a life union…that’s rather personal.
These are mainly SEIU and AFL-CIO but when a union use intimidation tactics to stop production, it provides an image. Back home, we had a Goodyear plant that was picketed until they closed the plant. Now, there’s no Goodyear plant there anymore.
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