Remember the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire - 100 Years Later

Events in 2011 March 23, 5:00-7:30pm. Not One More Fire: Finding Solutions to Today's Sweatshops. Fashion Institute of Technology, New York City >> March 24, 9:00am-6:30pm. Out of the Smoke and the Flame: The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire and Its Legacy. CUNY Graduate Center, New York City >>  (Registration is now CLOSED and attendance is open for only those who have registered. There is no extra room or video feed for walk-ins.) March 24, 9:00pm Sweatfree Campaigner & Musician Valerie Orth. New York City  >> March 25, 11:00am-1:30pm. Official Commemoration led by Workers United. New York City >> March 25, 7:00-9:30pm. 100 Years After: The Triangle Fire Remembered and Rethought. New York City >> March 27, 3:00-5:3pm. Theater for the New City presents the world premiere of "Birds on Fire" by award-winning playwright Barbara Kahn with music by Emmy nominee Allison Tartalia. New York City >> March 27- April 4, Sweatshop, Warehouse, Walmart: A Worker Truth Tour. Chicago, Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington D.C. >>   April 6, 5:30-7:30pm. Not One More Fire: Organizing Globally - Remembering the Triangle Fire. Washington DC >> Organize your own event! Click here for ideas & let us know what you're planning. Films Triangle Fire On PBS American Experience, Feb 28. Triangle: Remembering the Fire On HBO, March 21, 23 & 25. Resources Flier: 1911 New York City - 2011 Bangladesh The Names of those who fell victim to the fire. City Lore, a cultural historical activist group helping to organize many of the historical dimensions of the event.  Cornell University- The Story of the Factory Fire University of Missouri- The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire Trial

On March 25, 1911 a fire broke out on the 8th floor of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, located near Washington Square in New York City. There were over 500 employees – most were young women, most were recent immigrants.The workers ran to the fire escape. It collapsed, dropping them to their death. On the 9th floor a critical exit was locked. People on the street watched as the workers began to jump out the windows. Fire trucks arrived but their ladders only reached the 6th floor. The elevators ran as long as they could, workers pressed into the cars; some tumbled down the elevator shaft.

In the end 146 people died. There was a trial but the owners, long known for their anti-union activities, got off. The fire became a rallying cry for the international labor movement. Many of our fire safety laws were created in response to this tragic event.

We remember because we are still fighting for social justice for all.

In March of this year, 100 years after the the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, the Remember the Triangle Fire Coalition is spearheading a series of commemorative events – activism, education, arts – for the Centennial and the establishment of a permanent memorial.

Factory fires are still raging. This year on December 14, 2010, a preventable fire raged at a factory producing for JC Penney, Abercrombie, and Phillips-Van Heusen in Bangladesh. It resulted in at least 35 deaths and left hundreds of other garment workers injured. For more information see the article on The New York Times or the post on the blog  Labor is not a Commodity.

Click here to take part in a current action to support justice for workers in Bangladesh.