The Effects of the Triangle Fire

On March 25, 1911, a fire started and quickly swept through the Triangle Shirtwaist Company garment factory in New York. Many of the 146 people who were killed jumped to their deaths to avoid the flames. By 1911, there were already labor movements fighting for better pay and safer working conditions for factory workers and the Triangle Fire served as a rallying point for these movements and brought new attention to the problems of American sweat shops.

Uprising

The morning following the fire, more than 15,000 shirtwaist makers walked off the job, demanding a 20 percent increase in pay, extra pay for overtime and a 52-hour work week. By the next day, two days after the fire, the number had grown to 20,000. Some of the smaller factories rapidly agreed to their demands, but the owners of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory joined with other large factory owners to attempt to put down the strike. With the support of wealthy suffragists such as Anne Morgan and Alva Belmont, the strike continued and spread to other cities. Ultimately, the large factories gave in, too.

The Trial

The trial of Triangle Factory owners Isaac Harris and Max Blanck began Dec. 4, 1911. Harris and Black were charged with manslaughter for locking the factory doors to prevent theft. This also prevented many women from escaping the fire. The jury ultimately found Harris and Black not guilty, stating that they believed that the doors were locked but were not convinced that the defendants knew it was locked. The owners were also sued in civil court and ended up paying damages of $75 per death. On August 20, 1913, Harris and Black were found guilty of locking the doors again. The chief justice in the case fined them $25 and apologized for having to levy the fine.

Factory Investigating Commission

As a result of the fire, the New York State Legislature established the Factory Investigation Commission on June 30, 1911, to look into issues of working conditions and safety in factories across the state. By 1913, after talking to hundreds of witnesses and examining more than 1,800 factories, the Commission had recommended 28 bills, 25 of which were passed. Among the changes were new powers of enforcement for the Department of Labor, stiffer penalties for violations of the code and provisions for fireproof stairways, better lighting, fire escapes and other safety improvements.

Memorials

Over 120,000 people marched in a funeral procession for the victims and 300,000 people lined the streets to watch. In 1961, a memorial plaque was placed at the site of the fire, now called the Brown Building. Every year since, the garment workers union and the New York City Fire Department have held a commemoration ceremony at the site. In 1991, the building was designated as a national historic landmark by the National Park Service. On the 100th anniversary of the fire, President Barack Obama called for a national day of remembrance for all of the the victims of the fire and all of "those who have been killed due to unsafe working conditions."

References

• United States Department of Labor: The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire
• AFL-CIO: The Uprising of 20,000 and the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire
• UMKC.edu; The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire Trial; Doug Linder; 2002
• Cornell University: The Triangle Factory Fire: Timeline of Events
• The White House; Presidential Proclamation--100th Anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire; March, 2011

Resources

• The Learning Network: 100 Years Later...; Shannon Doyne et. al.,; March, 2011
• PBS.org: American Experience: Triangle Fire
• Cornell University: The Triangle Factory Fire