Final Project - Labor History - Fall 2014

1. Triangle Factory Fire Fuels
Reform
Prepared by Nicholas Foulds
HIST2100 – 80: US Labor History
November 30, 2014

2. Overview
The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory was owned by Max Blanck and Isaac Harris. It was
located on the top three floors of the Asch Building in Manhattan, New York. An iconic
example of a sweatshop, it involved long hours of working along cramped tables of
sewing machines. Despite the known issues with the conditions of factories like the
Triangle Shirtwaist factory, lack of support for change, political corruption, and refusal
to cooperate by the owners stagnated reforms and change. Before the fire, strikes
were led to attempt to gain support for reform within the garment industry. Many
companies conceded, on paper, to enact change and reform. Others refused to
cooperate with the unions and strikers, as was the case with the Triangle Shirtwaist
Factory. The fire was later used to bring people together in support of the proposed
changes and reform. It was a gruesome wakeup call to Americans that reforms were
immediately necessary. Great catastrophes often serve to fuel reform more quickly
than speakers and activists could ever hope, but at a much higher price.1
1History.com, Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire

3. The Garment Industry
The industry was well known for its strict and almost
militant labor policies. It was a new and rising industry
that changed how families got clothing. Until now,
women had been tailoring and mending their own
clothing as well as the clothing of their children,
sometimes with the help of hired seamstresses. To
accommodate the growing demand for ready-made
clothes, the sweatshop system was developed. The
shops would be unheated and poorly ventilated, leading
to scorching summers and bitter winters. The work force
was generally comprised of immigrant Jewish and Italian
women, generally supervised by men of their own
nationality. Policies and treatment of workers differed
between companies, but in order to contend with large
manufacturers, hours tended to be long and wages low.1
1Who Built America, Working People and the Nation’s History, 241

4. The Triangle Factory
• Workers of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory were
often subjected to 12 or more hour shifts and
forced to work every single day. In compensation,
they were paid a mere $15 per week.1
• The factory had a history of issues, including two
fires in 1902. The owners refused to install
sprinkler systems.1
• The same owners had another company, the
Diamond Waist Company, which burned in both
1907 and 1910. It has been speculated to be part
of a not uncommon practice of burning one’s own
factory to collect high fire insurance policies.1
1History.com, Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire

5. Protests and Unrest
In 1909 the industry rapidly expanded. The fact that already low wages were slashed,
conditions were still poor, and other small grievances sparked a number of small walk
outs by the workers producing shirtwaists. These small protests eventually led to
larger movements. Women were getting a taste of independence as well as the
position to financially support their families through this corrupt industry. Since the
industry was somewhat centered near New York, that is where the first of the strikes
started. However, they did spread. A strike that became know as “The Uprising of the
20,000” started in New York and spread to Philadelphia. This strike, as well as others,
were often viewed harshly upon by the government and companies alike, often
leading to police involved harassment. The small strikes suffered and would have to
reach out for support of larger unions, such as the WTUL (National Women’s Trade
Union League)1
1Who Built America, Working People and the Nation’s History, 242

6. Protests and Unrest
There were known issues and corruption in the garment industry, which
had been previously pretested.
• Two years before, hundreds of workers (as many as 400) walked out
in protest of the unsafe/unsanitary conditions. While most were
fired, outside support earned significant press and some political
support. Unfortunately, the strike ended with the majority of the
workers being fired.1
• Uprising of the 20,000 was led by Clara Lemlich and other organizers
against the shirtwaist industry. Unions aided and expanded the
protest, including the National Women’s Trade Union League of
America and the International Ladies Garment Workers’ Union. While
only some of the demands were met, many companies agreed to
increase wages and conditions. The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory
refused to reach an agreement.2
1Encyclopedia Britannica, The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire of 1911
2Harvard University Library Open Collection, Uprising of the 20,000

7. • The Uprising of the 20,000 spread to Philadelphia about a month
later. Again, there was help from larger unions that aided the strikers
with press relations, financials, as well as with legal aid.1
• Walkouts occurred after the small victory from the Uprising of the
20,000. At Hart, Schaffner, and Marx, a small group of fourteen
women struck for weeks over a pay cut before more coworkers
joined. Eventually, up to 40,000 workers throughout Chicago joined
the protest.1
• Another protest in New York involved 60,000 strikers that ended in
an agreement devised by Louis Brandeis. It had the intent of reducing
cutthroat competition by stabilizing wages and improving
conditions.1
The outbreak of protests and strikes over the sweatshop conditions of the
industry led to a drastic rise in union membership. Between the years of
1909 and 1913 nearly 400,000 garment workers became unionized.1
1Who Built America, Working People and the Nation’s History, 241

8. A Fire that Shocked the Nation
The small victories that were achieved in the protests leading up the Triangle
Shirtwaist Factory Fire did not manage to create enough reform to avoid such
atragedy. Not all companies would agree to settlements, nor would they even
recognize the unions fighting for reform. There were still few regulations to force
companies to improve the workplace conditions. Also lacking were government
bodies to enforce regulations and investigate companies that infringed upon the laws.
Corruption within the government often meant that if a company had enough money
they could pay off officials to look the other way, or to not look at all. The influence of
the business owners could outweigh that of the activists. Strikes could be ended by
convincing the right people to send in enough force to scare off all but the most
dedicated of protesters. Maybe if the right person had listened and if the right person
had acted, the loss created by the Triangle Fire could have been avoided. The
dangerous conditions within the factory worked all to well together to create this
tragedy.

9. Conditions That Lead to the Loss of Life
The company’s own regulations are what contributed most heavily to the severe
losses that resulted from the fire. The fire itself started on the morning of March 15,
1911, in a small rag bin. Conditions that lead to the extreme losses were avoidable.
These were ultimately just neglected safety features. However, some were due to
management fearing workers would attempt to steal equipment and/or products. The
following are some of the issues worth noting:
• Of four working elevators in the building, only one was functional. It was located
at the end of a long, narrow corridor.
• There were only two stairways for the top floors of the building. One of them
only opened inward and could not be used to descend. The other was locked by
management to thwart people leaving or stealing.
• The fire escape located on the exterior of the building was far too small to
accommodate the number of workers that would have had to have used it.
• The fire hose that workers attempted to use to put out the fire before it spread
was not only rotted, but the valve itself was rusted shut.
History.com, Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire

10. In total, 145 workers died on the day of the fire. Not all
deaths were directly caused by the fire. Deaths were
broken down as follows:
• 58 died jumping from windows to the sidewalks
below in an attempt to escape the flames. 1
• 49 died directly as a result of the fire, whether by
smoke inhalation or otherwise.
• 36 died in the elevator shaft. 1
• 2 died after the fire due to injuries sustained
during the fire.1
Other issues compounded those within the factory
itself, such as inadequate fire prevention systems, fire
response, and fire-fighters equipment.2
1Harvard University Library Open Collection, Uprising of the 20,000
2History.com, Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire

11. Aftermath
In the days following the fire, activists were quick to use the fire as a lesson to other
reformers and to the bodies that had been resisting reform. Today, it is clear that had
people listened sooner, this tragedy could have been avoided. Regulations would have
to be created to improve workplace safety, as many had been claiming for years.
However, the idea of something potentially going wrong and something actually going
wrong are two very different things. It is fair to say that people did learn something
from this incident, and that the lives that were lost did indeed have a positive impact.
Over the coming years, hundreds of workers testified to the Factory Commission
(created to investigate workplace safety) regarding unsafe conditions. To improve
conditions, as well as wages, the commission sponsored fifty-six laws. The
government, being the political body that it is (and was), saw many of these laws
passed by Democrats who suddenly started supporting the growing popularity of
reform.1
1Who Built America, Working People and the Nation’s History, 244

12. Other groups also got together in order to use the fire to create good. The WTUL
convened a protest the day after the fire, resulting in the creation of a committee
to write up new safety legislation. Both the Joint Relief Committee and the Red
Cross investigated the fire and published their findings. A later meeting led to the
creation of a resolution calling for the creation of a Bureau of Fire Prevention, as
well as additional safety regulations.1
The New York City Fire Department also voiced the need for a regulation stating
that automatic sprinkler systems would be mandatory in all buildings.1
Reporters and newspapers were far from silent in the aftermath of this tragedy.
They condemned the poor regulations and enforcement, but focused less on the
responsibility of the owners. In regard to the owners, they were not found guilty of
manslaughter during their trial in December 1911.1
1Jewish Women’s Archive, Beyond Place and Ethnicity: The Uses of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire

13. Sources
• Harvard University Library. "Uprising of the 20,000." Open Collections Program:
Women Working,. Harvard University Library Open Collections Program, 2014. Web.
29 Nov. 2014.
• History.com Staff. "Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire." History.com. A&E Television
Networks, 2009. Web. 3 Nov. 2014.
• Hyman, Paula E. "Sharing StoriesInspiring Change." Beyond Place and Ethnicity: The
Uses of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire, by Paula E. Hyman. Jewish Women's Archive, n.d.
Web. 28 Nov. 2014. <http://jwa.org/triangle/hyman>.
• McNamee, Gregory. "The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire of 1911." Encyclopedia
Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, 25 Mar. 2013. Web. 20 Nov. 2014.
• Rosenzweig, Roy, Nelson Lichtenstein, Joshua Brown, and David Jaffee.Who Built
America? Working People and the Nation's History. 3rd ed. Vol. 2. Boston: Beford/St.
Martin's, 2008. Print. 1877 to Present.

14. Image Sources (In order of occurrence)
1. Dolkart, Andrew S. Triangle Shirt Waist Factory Building (Brown Building). N.d.
New York. National Park Service (nps.gov). Web. 29 Nov. 2014.
2. SuperStock. Group of People Working in a Textile Factory. 1900s.
Masterfile.Masterfile. Web. 29 Nov. 2014.
3. Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Before. N.d. New York. Common Dreams. Web. 29
Nov. 2014. <http://www.commondreams.org/further/ 2014/03/25/triangle-shirtwaist-
fire-too-much-blood-has-been-spilled>.
4. Unkown. Triangle Fire. 1911. New York. Remembering the 1911 Triangle Factory
Fire. Web. 29 Nov. 2014. <http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/trianglefire/primary/
photosIllustrations/slideshow.html?image_id=746&sec_id=3#screen>.
5. Unknown Photographer. After the Fire. 1911. Franklin Delano Roosevelt Library,
New York. Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire Gallery. Web. 29 Nov. 2014.
<http://womenshistory.about.com/od/triangle/ig/Triangle-Factory-Fire/After-the-
Fire.htm>.