Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire

Words: 2072
Pages: 9

Government Doesn’t Listen Until After Tragedy Subtitle

By:..

Mia Sanchez

HIS 1220: United States History since the Civil War Professor Clay May 6, 2024

“These girls demanded more sanitary workrooms and more safety precautions in the shops. These dead bodies told the results.” Many women who had worked in Shirtwaist factories went on strike because of the poor conditions and lack of safety. After being denied, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory was set ablaze in March 1911. The shirtwaist buildings were extremely flammable with the fabrics lying around and little to no safety practices. When the factory was on fire, the higher floors were unable to be extinguished. The government didn’t fix these safety issues until after the fire because
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This letter was ignored.” These strikers risked their lives, from being abused, arrested, risking their family's lives, etc. to get better wages, conditions, and fewer hours. Eventually, after a couple of months of being on strike, businesses began to approve better pay and fewer work hours, and the employees returned to work shortly after, except for Blank and Harris in the Triangle factory. It took more time for Blank and Harris to give in to what the strikers were asking. Eventually, they also gave in, “Triangle owner Blanck and Harris were extremely anti-union. They eventually gave in to pay raises, but would not make the factory a "closed shop" that would employ only union members.” According to the quote, the Triangle factory got better hours and wages, but it’s never mentioned that their working conditions were ever improved. In 1911, two years after the shirtwaist strike, the famous Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire occurred. This fire in particular killed many workers in a singular fire, changing the future safety laws of America. The fire started from a match or cigarette discarded in a fabric on the 8th floor of the factory, and with scraps of fabric everywhere the workshop