When a fire broke out at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory on March 25, 1911, overcrowded worktables, inadequate and locked fire exits, and narrow escape passageways created a fatal inferno for the 146 people–mostly women and girls–who died. In the aftermath of the fire, outraged New Yorkers, lead by the International Ladies Garment Workers Union (now Workers United) fought for crucial regulations that continue to protect us on the job to this day
HOW MODERN BUILDINGS HAVE BEEN RESHAPED BY LABOR ACTIVISM
- Explore each circle with your mouse
Sources: U.S. Fire Administration, Centers for Disease Control, National Fire Protection Association Life Safety Code
Reform victories mean that fires are a much smaller risk at the workplace today, but the fight for safer working conditions continues on other fronts...
OCCUPATONAL FATALITIES 2008-2009
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Resources
- Remember the Triangle Fire Coalition
- History of the Triangle fire, Cornell University
- Workers United, modern descendant of International Ladies Garment Workers Union
- Wikipedia: Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire
- HBO: Triangle Remembering The Fire
