By Patty Ewing Robichaud, March 25, 2011
It was 100 years ago today that the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire claimed the lives of many young women – due in great part to oppressive working conditions, a below-standards building, and a fire department ill equipped to deal with a 10-story building. The story is tragic on every level as it was preventable.
The event also spurred the labor unions into action – and rightfully so. Unions caught the public’s and journalists eye as they demanded that such practices that caused such a great loss of life in a matter of minutes would never happen again. Politicians listened, and laws changed. Occupational health and safety became a priority – as bid building inspections to find those not meeting the building codes. Women eventually were allowed to vote.
