The Tragedy Of The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Labor

Up until the early 20th century, American labor laws did not protect employees and work environments were not monitored for unsafe conditions. Factories were allowed to run without proper fire exits, ventilation, pay, breaks and even children were forced into labor. These unsafe conditions came crashing down just before the end of the workday on March 25th, 1911 in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York City. In just under 30 minutes, 146 lives perished (Benin). Today, we call these factories “sweatshops” and they are primarily found in countries that lack laws enforcing proper working conditions. Many mistakes in the factory’s operation contributed to cause the large number of deaths, however, this tragedy led to a better future for workers across America.

While the cause of the fire is unknown, it began on the eighth floor, causing disaster for the underpaid, overworked employees. The

Harris and Blanck were under trial for 23 days and 150 witnesses with the defense of their attorney Max Steuer. Steuer brilliantly fought that Harris and Blanck did not know the exits were being locked during work hours, and therefore could not be guilty for the deaths of their employees (The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire of 1911). On December 27th, the jury declared the owners as not guilty, but the trial, and lessons, did not end there (Cornell). Merely two years after the trial, Max Blanck was caught locking the door of the new factory during working hours and was subsequently fined twenty dollars (Cornell). Twenty-three more civil suits were filed against Harris and Blanck for their mistakes leading up to the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire, and it wasn’t until early 1914 when they settled at a rate of $75 per life lost