Labor book for the week: Triangle: The Fire that Changed America

[Omaha Steve]

http://biglabor.com/book.php

By David Von Drehle

On March 25, 1911, a fire broke out at the Triangle shirtwaist factory in New York City. Within minutes it engulfed three upper floors, burning to death—or causing to jump to their deaths—146 workers, 123 of them women, some as young as 15. The garment factory was a sweatshop, employing mostly young Italian and Jewish immigrants, and was typical of thousands of other such hellholes throughout the city, complete with locked exit doors and useless fire escapes. It was the worst workplace disaster in the city’s history and ultimately led to the beginnings of workplace safety and health laws—and an increased understanding that the presence of unions could help prevent more such tragedies.



Featured in UCS Labor Books Catalog

[niyad]

1. maybe we could create a meme along the lines of "repukes want to

return to triangle"

sadly, I wonder how many of them actually know anything about triangle.

[niyad]

2. k & r

[eppur_se_muova]

3. There's been at least one excellent documentary on the fire as well ...

keep meaning to buy that book, even though I saw the doc on TV.