The victims and legacy of the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire are being remembered with a new memorial
FILE - Firefighters work at the scene of the Triangle Shirtwaist Company fire in the Asch Building on New York's Washington Place, March 25, 1911. The fire killed 146 young girls and women and triggered widespread labor reforms. . A structure of steel is being dedicated Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023, at the Manhattan building where the tragedy took place. If people really looked for history at the New York City building where the Triangle Shirtwaist factory once existed, they could find it.
It’s the story of desperate immigrant women, mostly Jewish and Italian, who were trapped by a door that was locked because there were no workplace safety rules that said it couldn’t be. Some jumped to their deaths from the windows to avoid the flames. Frantic workers tried to get out as the flames spread to the ninth and 10th floors, some scrambling to get into an elevator, others heading for the roof. But others who tried to get past a door to escape found it locked, trapping them inside. At a trial of the factory’s owners afterward, some said the door had been kept locked on purpose, over theft concerns.Horrified witnesses in the crowd watched as workers leapt from the windows.
Perkins would be part of a state commission that put a series of safety rules in place in New York that were emulated elsewhere, and later became an integral part of President Franklin Roosevelt’s cabinet as his secretary of labor. She pushed for policies like minimum wage, workers compensation, and old age pensions.
Growing up, Bass knew her great-aunt had lived through the fire, but it wasn’t until years later that she heard about Rosie.
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Memorial honors 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire deaths that galvanized US labor movementThe victims and legacy of the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire are being remembered with a new memorial
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Memorial honors 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire deaths that galvanized US labor movementThe victims and legacy of the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire are being remembered with a new memorial
Read more »
Memorial honors 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire deaths that galvanized US labor movementThe victims and legacy of the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire are being remembered with a new memorial. A structure of steel is being dedicated Wednesday at the Manhattan building where the tragedy took place. It will have the names of the 146 people, mostly immigrant girls and women, who were killed when a fire started at the clothing company. In the aftermath, it became a catalyst for the rise of the labor movement. The memorial is coming to fruition during a time of increased labor acti
Read more »
Memorial honors 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire deaths that galvanized US labor movementThe victims and legacy of the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire are being remembered with a new memorial.
Read more »
Memorial honors 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire deaths that galvanized US labor movementThe victims and legacy of the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire are being remembered with a new memorial.
Read more »
Memorial honors 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire deaths that galvanized US labor movementThe victims and legacy of the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire are being remembered with a new memorial.
Read more »