Essay On The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire

Known as the “fire that changed America,” The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York resulted in the deaths of one hundred forty-six shirtwaist workers. It is remembered as one of the most infamous incidents during the American industrial history, as the deaths were largely preventable if safety measures were accounted for. The tragedy brought widespread attention to the dangerous sweatshop conditions of factories and led to the development of a series of laws and regulations that better protected the safety of workers. Workplace struggles became exposed after the fire and the work industry would never remain the same again.

Competition for jobs was at an all time high, especially in New York City. Immigrants were flooding in from different

countries and needed to find work fast, even if that meant in the hot, overcrowded conditions of garment factories. In the document “Fire and the Skyscraper: The Problem of Protecting Workers in New York’s Tower Factories” by Arthur E. McFarlane, McFarlane exposes the truth about the layout and dangers of production in loft factories. McFarlane states: “When you permit five hundred workers, four fifths of them women, to be put into a single room one hundred and fifty or two hundred feet above the asphalt, it is necessary to know what you are going to do in case of fire.” (McFarlane 41). Loft buildings were never constructed to be factories. However, the owners of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory did not seem to care. Similarly, Clara Lemlich’s “Life in the Shop” describes the daily life of a shirtwaist factory worker. Lemlich states: “Some girls can buy only one, perhaps two shirtwaists a year -- while they help to make thousands of them.” (Lemlich 57). Triangle Shirtwaist Factory usually employed young women who were from other countries to work for low wages. Despite the low wages, these women were put through several hours of hard work, in less than ideal working conditions. They worked in a hot space with little to no room to move around, secluded to their one station for most of the day. It was a true sweatshop with young women who worked in a cramped space at lines of sewing machines in order to speed up production. These women were basically worked until they could not work anymore and would still be required to do more on top of that.
In spite of these poor factory conditions, women retaliated back by strikes. Allan L. Benson’s “Women in a Labor War: How the Working Girls of New York East Side Have Learned to Use Men’s Weapons in a Struggle for Better Conditions” recalls the initiation of a strike against the unfair working conditions in NYC by the thirty thousand young women factory workers. Benson quotes “‘I am tired of so much talk. We have only one thing to do -- to vote to strike or not to strike. For my part, I offer a resolution that we go on strike -- now.’” (Benson 62). Also in William Mailly’s document “The Working Girl’s Strike,” he addresses the unions agreement over wages, benefits, and working conditions. Mailly asserts: “What do the strikers want? Narrowed down, the main issue is recognition of the union.” (Mailly 69). When the International Ladies Garment Workers Union (ILGWU) led a strike to demand higher pay and shorter and more predictable hours, some company owners were not happy about this and hired police to imprison those who chose to strike. The strikes showed how women were eager to sacrifice their job in order to get better working conditions. These women were not only fighting to have better working conditions in spite of only themselves, but for women as a whole.
Despite of the strikes, there wouldn’t be a fire in the first place if the owner’s took in their employees consideration. In the document “120,000 Pay Tribute to the Fire Victims” written by The New York Times, thousands of working people sought to bring attention to the victims of the fire. The New York Times states: “The intention of the leaders to make the occasion one for the expression of the working people’s grief,” (The New York Times 89). Additionally, Elizabeth Dutcher’s “Budgets of the Triangle Fire Victims” uncovers the perception of women and work. Dutcher states: “These girls in their teens were supporting old fathers and mothers, both in this country and abroad; mothering and supporting younger brothers and sisters [...] Women will submit to worse conditions, longer hours, and shorter wages than men.” (Dutcher 96-97). These articles not only gave women the acknowledgement they deserved, but shed a new light on women as workers as well. Women were not only the typical housewife who bowed at their husbands every need, but were providers. They had the ability to work their butt off in order to provide for their families and deserved better treatment, they shouldn’t be treated as second class citizens just because of their gender role. Women deserve the same rights and pay as men, they will work in harsh environments and longer hours to no avail, still being undermined by men.
With the horrids of the Triangle Factory fire, many sought for solutions that would prevent a tragic incident like the fire to happen again.

In the document “Indictments in the Asch Fire Case” by The Outlook, the Grand Jury of New York propose a new law on behalf of the fire. The Outlook states: “The law requires that doors in such a factory shall open outwardly where practicable, and shall not be locked, bolted, or fastened during working hours.” (The Outlook 109). Before the fire, the business owners kept exits and escape routes the building had locked because of the fear of thieving employees. Because of this, employees mostly took the elevators up and down the building, limiting their knowledge of possible escape routes. Given these factors, it was only a matter of time before the fire would strike. Also in Alfred E. Smith’s “Up to Now: An Autobiography”, East Side Settlement calls upon legislature to make safety inspections every year. Smith states: “Factory-inspection forces were so small that the inspections in some cities were made only once in two years and in others once a year.” (Smith 118). Due to the fire, several laws were employed in order to prevent anything like the fire to happen again. For example, automatic sprinklers are now required by law and a series of fire alarm drills are also required as well. Government officials have also passed legislations that gave mandated maximum hours of work and required the working environment to be well maintained. They also employed several methods to prevent any type of fire from starting, such as prohibiting smoking in certain areas. However, this issue did not only cause change within the state of New York itself, but affects how factories are run

nationwide.
The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire was a day that would forever change our nation. It showed the public the harsh working conditions and treatment (abuse) women working in these factories were subjected to. This forced the government to step in and enact several safety and fire laws within working environments. Mandating safety checks and labor laws would protect employees in order to prevent anything like the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire from ever happening again.