Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, Narrated by Tom Perez
Tom Perez is a civil rights attorney, former Chair of the Democratic National Committee, and served as U.S. Labor Secretary under President Barack Obama. Perez tells us about the tragic 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire and the workplace reforms that it inspired.
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Notes
Unless otherwise noted, all images used in this video are in the public domain.
Frances Perkins was one of the best blessings of her generation.
The Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire was so crucial to the advancement of labor law and unions that protected the workforce. This history must be shared widely so that people understand the importance of unions, as well as what happens when all that matters is making money.
People may think a tragedy like this could not happen today in the US, but with labor laws being weakened, along with workplace protections, the safety of workplaces in the US is no longer guaranteed. we have already seen children working in factories again, including meat processing plants where there is a significant risk of injury. If we no longer protect our young people from dangerous workplaces, we will see a further decline in workplace safety. This goes hand in hand with high tech (or other) employers expecting or requiring their salaried workforce to 60-80+ hours a week to meet deadlines as we saw with Elon Musk.