102 years ago, the Triangle Factory burned, and 146 employees, overwhelmingly young, female, and immigrant, died. I've been reading David Von Drehle's book on the subject, and contemplating the truth of his subtitle, The Fire That Changed America. Frankly, I'm not sure so much has changed, but that's a topic for another day. What has gotten me as I read is finding out that fire was part of the business back then, and that there had been a deadly fire in a Newark garment factory just six months before the Triangle. http://blog.nj.com/njv_mark_diionno/2010/11/decades-old_fatal_newark_facto.html Plus, the fledgling garment worker's union had called a strike and picketed during 1909-1910. Unfortunately, safety concerns were not part of the discussion, as the primary concerns were wages and working hours for workers who were often the sole support of their families.
Sounding familiar?
No comments:
Post a Comment