Fannie Lansner – the 21-year-old sister of our columnist’s grandfather – and 145 others perished in the 1911 factory blaze that sparked a revolution in workplace safety, building codes, and unionization.
FILE – This 1911 file photo shows the burned out remains of the Triangle Shirtwaist Company in New York’s Greenwich Village neighborhood. One hundred years ago, horrified onlookers watched as workers leapt to their deaths from the raging fire in the garment factory.
The fire killed 146 workers, mainly young immigrant women and girls, and became a touchstone for the organized labor movement, spurred fire-safety laws and shed light on the lives of immigrant workers. FILE – In this 1911 file photo provided by the National Archives, labor union members gather to protest and mourn the loss of life in the March 25, 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York. FILE – In this March 25, 1911 file photo, firefighters work to put out the fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Company in New York’s Greenwich Village neighborhood. The fire that raced through a garment factory on Saturday, Nov. 24, 2012 in Bangladesh and killed 112 workers bore eerie echoes of another inferno that burned more than a century ago: the Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire in New York City. These women, all survivors of tragic fire at Triangle Waist co., in New York City, March 25, 1911, attend ceremonies in New York March 25, 1961 on the 50th Anniversary of the event. About 350 persons escaped death in the fire that day which took the lives of 146 garment workers, mostly girls and women. From left at the commemorative ceremonies planned joint by New York City and the International ladies garment workers union are Anna Gullo Pidone, Yetta Kreisel, Josephine Nicolosi and Flo Coannides. Three Lansner family cousins — from left, Erika, Daniel and Thomas — stand after chalking a memorial in New York on March 25, 2021 to Fannie Lansner, who died at age 21 along with 145 others in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire on March 25, 1911. Outrage over workers’ deaths was a key moment in establishing the U.S. labor movement. New York’s Asch Building, now the Brown Building of New York University, was where 146 employees of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory died in a workplace fire on March 25, 1911. Outrage over workers’ deaths was a key moment in establishing the U.S. labor movement. Plaque honoring 146 workers of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory who died in a fire on March 25, 1911. Outrage over workers’ deaths was a key moment in establishing the U.S. labor movement. Fannie Lansner — the 21-year-old sister of my paternal grandfather — and 145 others perished in the horrific, high-rise factory blaze in New York City that led to a revolution in workplace safety, building codes and unionization. My great-aunt had been in America for just four years after immigrating from Lithuania. Fannie was later called one of the many heroes that gruesome day, as the young forewoman was said to have directed co-workers to safety, only to become one of 80 workers forced to jump from the Manhattan factory’s windows to escape the killer flames.For example, ponder the five-day workweek. Fannie and her co-workers died on a Saturday, a routine sixth day of a 1911 work week. The weekend is one of numerous worker perks that emerged as the labor movement blossomed after the Triangle Fire. Yet Fannie might be saddened to see the union movement’s heyday in the rearview mirror. The first quarter of the 21st century has not been kind to organized labor. It’s hard not to link that loss of worker power to many of the economic challenges the nation’s working class faces today — from diminished job security to income inequality to the lack of affordable housing.for 2025 and compared them with 2000, it was hard to find much growth, with California being a noteworthy exception. In 2025, the Golden State’s 2.5 million union members ranked No. 1 among states and accounted for 17% of the nation’s 14.66 million members. After California, New York came in at 1.8 million, and Illinois came in at 758,000. California’s union membership grew by 8% over the quarter-century, making it the 13th-fastest-growing among the states. Nationally, union rolls shrank 10%. The biggest gains were found in Vermont at 35%, Washington at 34% and Texas at 33%. But in 32 states, membership dipped, with Wisconsin topping the list, shrinking 61%, South Dakota 48%, and Iowa 44%. This left union membership equal to 15% of California’s workforce. That’s the eighth-biggest share among the states, well above the 10% share nationally. Hawaii is No. 1 at 25%, followed by New York at 21% and Alaska at 18%. The smallest shares are found in South Dakota and North Carolina at 2%. Still, organized labor’s share of all California workers dipped 1 percentage point over 25 years, from 16% in 2000. In the past quarter-century, union share grew in just two states: Vermont, up 3 points, and Massachusetts, up 0.2 points.California’s 1.4 million unionized public-sector positions last year ranked No. 1 among states and accounted for 19% of the nation’s 7.3 million, after California was New York at 945,000, and Illinois at 368,000. Union membership in California among government workers grew 24% in a quarter century — 12th fastest among the states — vs. a 2% gain nationally. The biggest gains were in Delaware at 51%, Nevada at 47% and Texas at 45%. The largest drops were in Wisconsin , South Dakota and Michigan . Union members represent 50% of California’s government staffing — the No. 8 share among the states — and well above the 33% share nationally. The highest shares were in New York at 65%, Connecticut at 63% and Hawaii at 63%. The lowest? North Carolina at 6%, South Carolina at 7% and South Dakota at 8%. But even California unions’ share of government workers was down 1 percentage point since 2000. Nationally, it’s off 4 points.In California, 1.1 million private-sector workers were unionized last year — No. 1 among states and 15% of the nation’s 7.4 million. After California, there’s New York at 889,000, and Illinois at 390,500. However, California’s private-sector union members dropped 7% over 25 years — the No. 19-best performance among the states. Nationally, it’s down 19%. Big gainers: Vermont at 53%, North Dakota at 46% and Washington state at 31%. Largest drops: Wisconsin, down 58%; West Virginia, down 57%; and Iowa, down 56%. That left only 8% of California’s private industry workers in unions — No. 11 among the states — vs. 6% nationally. The highest share was in Hawaii at 13%, New York at 12% and Washington state at 11%. Lows? South Dakota at 1%, and Arkansas and North Carolina at 2%. Organized labor’s share of California’s private sector was down 2 percentage points from 10% in 2000, vs. a 3-point drop nationally. Share grew in just two states: Vermont, up 2 points, and North Dakota, up 0.02.Think of the manufacturing industry that employed my Great Aunt Fannie, which was once a union hotbed. Organized labor has lost members due to shuttered plants — and lost clout. In the past quarter-century, U.S. manufacturing jobs tumbled by 4.8 million, or 25%, to 14.5 million. However, unionized factory jobs dropped 1.7 million — or 60% — to 1.1 million in the same period. So roughly one-third of manufacturing workers who lost their jobs in the past quarter-century were union members.Chances of a Federal Reserve rate cut fade as inflation worsensMeta targeted older workers in 2025 layoffs, lawsuit claimsWhat to know about the planned Saturday, March 28 ‘No Kings’ protests in Southern CaliforniaMore than 300 cats and dogs, rescued in Lake Hughes, up for adoptionCalifornia governor debate abruptly canceled amid controversy over who was invited to attendHow a dream home in Wildomar was dashed by California’s steep impact fees
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