Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire Essay
The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire
It is unbelievable as a worker in today’s society to read about laborers working 14-20 hours, not allowed to speak the whole time, but it was a reality for workers at the turn of the 20th century. As our nation entered into the 20th century, there was a major push by the Progressives for changes in the workplace that had been going on for nearly a decade, but with no success. While the Progressive movement had sparked changes in public health, the workplace had not changed for the better. Workers in most jobs had to work long hours, at low pay, with no safety regulations. A perfect example was at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, where workers were required to work 14-20 hours a day, locked into their workspace
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Workers were paid $2 a day at the Triangle Shirtwaist factory, and that was before their bosses docked their pay for the needles, thread, and electricity they used each day. The highrise factory had locked exit doors, and practically no safety precautions in case of danger.Conditions were truly brutal, but workers had no other choice, they needed the money and their bosses could replace them at the snap of a finger. Angry garment workers, such as Clara Lemlich, were able to get workers to band together in “The Uprising of 20,000”, the largest strike of women in American history. The strikers protested low wages, dangerous working conditions, and management’s refusal to recognize unions; the mass strike failed to bring any meaningful change to the garment-making industry. It should also be noted that at many other factories, conditions may have been even worse than at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, so there was not really a better option available for these workers. The government at the time had a history of not intervening in big business, better known as a laissez-faire approach. There were no regulations on how many hours owners could make their employees work, as well as no minimum wage, so owners exploited their workers and unless the
A Brief Background Of The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire
841 Words | 4 PagesToday we use the triangle fire as a reference of building bigger, better and safer buildings for people to work in, this means that they get metal that takes longer to melt so the building doesn’t collapse. They even took to mind the make better fire exits and escape plans in case of a fire to occur again. This also meant that no employee had to sacrifice their life for their employment. These solutions made the people at work feel safe and know if there was an emergency they were not going to die because of these news laws. Knowing they don't want to risk their employees lives, the owners of businesses today are making sure all their employees know where the exits are in case of a fire, they also make sure they have backup plans in case the primary plan is ruined.
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Case Study
1153 Words | 5 PagesAs claimed by Pauline Newman’s interview, Working for the Triangle Shirtwaist Company, she states, “We started work at 7:30 and during the busy season, we worked until nine o’clock in the evening, even during the holidays our hours didn’t change.” This shows that the workers hardly had time to spend with there families, they would just earn money and send it home for there families. Since the workers had to be at work at 7:30 they often fell asleep while working, which explains why there was so many injuries from the
Essay On Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire
592 Words | 3 PagesMost of them were new immigrants. Young Jewish women from Eastern Europe and Catholic women from Italy. Von Drehle says in his book, “they were underpaid and overworked, but also independent, resolute and freethinking.” They were alone in the city working six long days a week, and sending all the money back home and keeping nothing for themselves. But, just a year earlier, these women had walked out of their jobs, activating a strike that called for better work conditions.
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire Essay
589 Words | 3 PagesThe Triangle Shirtwaist laborers, much like a lot of industrial workers in the New York at that time, worked for up to 13 hours a day. Not to mention that they only had a half-hour break during their shifts, which often consisted of working with unsafe, foot pedal-operated sewing machineries in poorly conditioned rooms. The workers were locked inside the rooms most of the time because the owners thought that that would be a good way to keep the workers from stealing any equipment. However, the poor work conditions made the people in the labor union unhappy and anxious to do something to stop the mistreatment of laborers. They called for a strike against Triangle Shirtwaist in
Summary Of Conditions At The Triangle Shirtwaist Company
487 Words | 2 PagesBy examining the conditions at the factory, one can see that the fire stirred the need for labour reform in factories, making Americans aware of the problems of industrial capitalism; this is important because it changed the face of labour and rights of workers for generations to come. In Conditions at the Triangle Shirtwaist Company, historians have compiled five separate accounts that detail the working conditions and give look into the lives of those who survived the fire. These accounts provide the reader with a glimpse into the abuses that workers endured day in and day out, painting a visual snapshot of a worker in the factory. The need for reform in workplaces was
Causes Of The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire Of 1911
2288 Words | 10 PagesIntroduction The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire of 1911 proved to be the impetus for sweeping change, not just in fire and worker safety, but in labor law and employee rights in general. Prior to the fire, workplace safety was largely focused on the protection of buildings and assets rather than the people who worked in the buildings. The only incentives for greater protections came from reduced insurance premiums, with little or no enforcement on the part of government officials. Following a series of strikes over working conditions, the Triangle fire came at the peak of the fight between companies and laborers. The disaster and resulting loss of life sparked a different kind of fire in the bellies of the public, forcing the government
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293 Words | 2 PagesAnyone who was thrown out would not be paid” (29). The workers were forced to mark the paper of fear of not getting paid and losing their jobs. Another way workers were exploited is by working in horrible conditions.
Research Paper On The Triangle Fire Tragedy
893 Words | 4 PagesThe Triangle Fire Tragedy The fire in the Triangle Waist Company was the “deadliest workplace tragedy in the history of New York City” (Argersinger, p.16). Immigrant young women, some of whom did not speak English, were employees in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory to support their families despite the poor wages and the dangerous work conditions. In this period, progressive movements were occurring in order to reduce the impacts of the difficult conditions brought by industrialization, balance the wealth between the rich and poor, and make the workplace more efficient. After watching how several garment workers, mostly women, reach their deaths, America was never the same in many ways, affecting the development of the Progressive Era and
The Legitimacy Of Government Intervention In The Triangle Factory Fire Case
1871 Words | 8 PagesSince it would be difficult to replace a large amount of workers, strike was an efficient way of getting attention. However, the factory owners could not allow those young girls to teach them how to run their business. “They are biting the hands that feed them,” said in the PBS documentary. (Wignot, Triangle Fire) Because of their wealth and social status, they had the money and power to bribe local policemen and judges while average working-class people did not had chance to know those people.
Triangle Shirtwaist Fire
938 Words | 4 PagesTheir actions spoke many words and in doing so changed many lives as well as saving them. They went above and beyond, thus with hard work and many years of waiting, acts and regulations were passed. It was a devastating time when the fire occurred in 1912, but in the reformers eyes, they did not just see lives being taken, but an opportunity to save many others from this awful predicament to ever happen again. The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire will go down in history, in reformers and people to this day, as one of the most tragic and upsetting experiences to ever happen in the factory
Triangle Fire Analysis
738 Words | 3 PagesIn April 2013, Matthew Yglesias, an American Economics Journalist proposed the people of Bangladesh would not appreciate having stronger safety standards in their country because it would cause undue harm economically. He asserts Bangladesh should have different lower standards for safety because they are a poorer country. Most of the people involved in the New York tragedy of 1911 also known as the Triangle Fire, would not agree with Matthew Yglesias on his assertion that lower economic status would be an indication of lower safety standards in factories. Namely, the workers, the union leaders, the progressive reformers and the political leaders would all vote for higher standards commiserate with the United States. The only ones who would not argue with Yglesias are the owners of the Triangle Factory with their vested interest, their own problems of multiple fires and accusations of safety neglect.
How Did The Bryant And May Match Girls And Their Place In Labour History?
1098 Words | 5 PagesThe factory responded by attempting to force the girls to sign a contract that stated they were happy with their working conditions. A group of women refused to sing the contract which resulted in the group being fired. This caused 1400 girls who worked at the Bryant and May factory ro go on strike. The Bryant and May factory were not worried at first, they believed the girls would soon return as they needed the money, but they were wrong. The girls refused to go back and stayed on strike for multiple weeks despite not having any income at this time.
Life In The Late 1800s Essay
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Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire Research Paper
864 Words | 4 PagesOne of the main reasons the fire took such a psychological toll on the New Yorkers was because of the workers jumping to there deaths. One witness even remarked the event saying quote 'I know a new sound a terrible sound the sound of a body hitting the pavement". The inferno was also not an uncommon occurrence the triangle shirt was burned before the tragedy to collect insurance money. Knowing this information, many Jewish and women workers went on strike to secure improved working conditions. There strike in fact proved successful with the New York state legislature creating the Factory Investigating Commission.
Essay On Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire
1576 Words | 7 PagesThe detrimental Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire is considered to be one of the most tragic disasters in history. On March 25th, 1911, a fire broke out and killed 146 garment workers who were mostly women. These women worked countless hours with low wages and inhumane working conditions in a factory. Even though this event was tragic, the triangle shirtwaist fire helped to shape the new world for the better. The multitude of workers trapped within the inferno to their demise was the final straw for the mistreatment of America’s workers.
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