November 22: Clara Lemlich

Clara Lemlich made a spontaneous speech at Cooper Union on this date in 1909 that sparked the “Uprising of the 20,000,” an industry-wide strike mobilized by the new International Ladies Garment Workers Union. “I want to say a few words!” shouted Lemlich, a 23-year-old garment worker (usually described as 19), following AFL leader Samuel Gompers’ speech. She was a member of the ILGWU’s executive board and had been arrested seventeen times, with broken ribs to show for it. “I have no further patience for talk,” she said upon reaching the podium, “as I am one of those who feels and suffers from the things pictured. I move that we go on a general strike . . . now!” The strike lasted until February and was met with constant violence, but at its end the union had increased its membership from thehundreds to some twenty thousand, and most of the major sweatshop owners had signed union contracts — except for the Triangle Shirtwaist Company. Lemlich remained an activist throughout her life until her death in 1982 at 96. (For a brief Jewish Currents interview with Clara Lemlich in the year of her death, visit our archive and scan down to “L.”) “If I turn traitor to the cause I now pledge, may this hand wither from the arm I now raise.” —Traditional Yiddish oath, led in recitation by Clara Lemlich after the strike resolution passed The Jewish Currents Pushcart now carries a...

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NLRB Office of the General Counsel Authorizes Complaints against Walmart, Also Finds No Merit to Other Charges

The labor movement was the catalyst for the legislation known as the Workers' Compensation Act following the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire in 1911. Will this repeat itself? Today's post was shared by Steven Greenhouse and comes from www.nlrb.gov

The National Labor Relations Board Office of the General Counsel has investigated charges alleging that Walmart violated the rights of its employees as a result of activities surrounding employee protests.  The Office of the General Counsel found merit in some of the charges and no merit in others.  The Office of the General Counsel has authorized complaints on alleged violations of the National Labor Relations Act.  If the parties cannot reach settlements in these cases, complaints will issue. The Office of the General Counsel found merit to alleged violations of the National Labor Relations Act against Walmart, such as the following: During two national television news broadcasts and in statements to employees at Walmart stores in California and Texas, Walmart unlawfully threatened employees with reprisal if they engaged in strikes and protests on November 22, 2012. Walmart stores in California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas and Washington unlawfully threatened, disciplined, and/or terminated employees for having engaged in legally protected strikes and protests. Walmart stores in California, Florida, Missouri and Texas unlawfully threatened, surveilled, disciplined, and/or terminated employees in anticipation of or in response to employees’ other protected concerted activities. The Office of the General Counsel found no merit, absent appeal, to alleged violations...

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Bangladesh: Is Worker Safety Failing in the Global Supply Chain?

The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire that killed 146 workers in New York City more than 100 years ago probably is the worst single workplace tragedy in U.S. history. Workplace safety and health reforms followed the fire and eventually led to the signing of the Occupational Safety and Health Act and the creation of OSHA and MSHA. Unions gained strength and demanded safer working conditions for members. And now, modern building codes demand certain standards of construction, as well as sprinkler systems, warning systems, appropriate storage of flammable goods, an appropriate number of exits and the ability to access those exits. Download the pdf of the Bangladesh features. But as U.S. corporations shifted the bulk of their manufacturing overseas, how responsible should they have been for contractors that set up shop in countries where production is the only concern? Should U.S. and European companies bear some responsibility for the welfare of their contractors’ employees? The authors of the articles in this special section say that yes, the multinational companies doing business in countries like Bangladesh and Pakistan have a moral responsibility to improve the working conditions and safety of the people who manufacture their clothing and other products. After all, manufacturing in Bangladesh is big business: The ready-made garment (RMG) sector in Bangladesh exported goods worth more than $20 billion in the past year; nearly 12 percent more than a year earlier. The...

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Bangladesh workers must continue to wait for full compensation

Fashion Safety continues to dominate international news and reflects that the movement that the workers' compenstion sparked by the historic Triangle Shirtwaist Fire cannot be rekindled. Today's post was shared by WCBlog and comes from www.industriall-union.org

Eleven of the brands and retailers sourcing from the factories involved in the Tazreen and Rana Plaza disasters joined high-level compensation meetings, facilitated by the ILO as a neutral chair, on 11-12 September in Geneva. Many other major companies failed to attend, showing total contempt for the 1,900 workers who were injured and the families of over 1,200 workers who were killed making their products. IndustriALL Global Union Assistant General Secretary Monika Kemperle stated: “Consumers will be shocked that almost a half-year has passed since the Rana Plaza disaster with only one brand so far providing any compensation to the disaster’s victims. I respect those brands that came to these meetings. But I cannot understand brands that are not around the table.” Regarding Rana Plaza out of a total of 29 brands that were invited the following 9 brands showed good faith by attending the meeting: Bon Marché, Camaieu, El Corte Ingles, Kik, Loblaw, Mascot, Matalan, Primark and Store Twenty One. 20 other companies, all of whom were invited, failed to show up: Adler, Auchan, Benetton, C&A, Carrefour, Cato Corp, The Children’s Place, Dressbarn, Essenza, FTA International, Gueldenpfennig, Iconix Brand, Inditex, JC Penney, Kids Fashion Group, LPP, Mango, Manifattura Corona, NKD, Premier Clothing, PWT Group, Texman and Walmart. IndustriALL, the Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC) and the Workers Rights Consortium (WRC) presented a proposed...

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Triangle Shirt Waist Fire -- Revisited

"They killed time. Time was so precious, so important. But they said it was a false alarm."ABU NAYEEM MOHAMMAD SHAHIDULLAH, director general of Bangladesh's national fire service, on the actions of some managers during a fatal fire at a garment factory." 

Read the complete story (NY Times):

THE HUMAN PRICE

Horrific Fire Revealed a Gap in Safety for Global Brands

By JIM YARDLEY

A blaze that killed 112 workers in Bangladesh last month exposed a disconnect among retailers like Sears and Walmart, the monitoring system to protect workers and the factories filling the orders.

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US Labor Department Launches Mobile-Optimized Website to Commemorate 100th Anniversary of Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire

Mobile site features audio tour and background of historic event

WASHINGTON — In commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the deadly fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York City, the U.S. Department of Labor today announced a new website and audio tour optimized for smartphones documenting that milestone in labor's history.

With audio narrated by Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis and other senior Labor Department officials, the website highlights 21 locations throughout the New York City metropolitan area that played a role in the March 25, 1911, fire. Users can read and hear about the events that led up to the fire, its victims and the aftermath. The fire killed 146 workers and was an early tipping point in the struggle to ensure basic health and safety precautions in the 20th century workplace.

"The events of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire and their impact over the last 100 years are chilling reminders of the importance of the work of the Labor Department," said Secretary Solis. "As we continue to ensure that every company takes responsibility for the safety and health of its workers, we must also remember that although much has improved over the last 100 years, these images are still relevant today."

The website is http://m.dol.gov/shirtwaist. Audio recordings of the narration are also available by calling 866-487-2365.

On Friday, March 25, at approximately noon EDT, Secretary Solis is expected to deliver keynote remarks at the 100th anniversary commemoration of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire sponsored by the Service Employees International Union in Greenwich Village (Washington and Green Streets) in Manhattan.

The Labor Department's mobile tour is one of many commemorative efforts organized by nonprofit groups; labor unions; academia; and local, state and federal entities surrounding the 100th anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory tragedy.

Note: If you are not on a mobile device, please visit the tour on the full website 

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Commemoration- Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire: A Century Later

The Forward has published a special section for its new March 25 issue to commemorate and honor the 100^th anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire.  The section features the first-ever translations of the Jewish Daily Forward’s original Yiddish coverage of the event, including the front page of March 25, 1911, the day of the fire, stories about the heroes of the fire, and Editor Abe Cahan’s editorials about the tragedy.

The special section also includes an original essay from David Von Drehle, author of Triangle: The Fire That Changed America, as well as the winners of its Triangle Fire Poetry Contest, a prize poetry contest that the Forward held earlier this year to elicit  submissions for both an English and Yiddish poem to honor the poetry of Morris Rosenfeld who documented the fire at the time and to reflect upon the fire’s meaning and legacy. The winner of the English poem was Zackary Sholem Berger of Baltimore, Md and the winner of the Yiddish section was Alec (“Leyzer”) Burko of New York City.

Lastly, another neat part of the section is a video tour featuring Chris Connor, a retired NYC fire marshal who visits the current building where the Triangle Fire took place (now a part of NYU’s campus) to document what went wrong on that fateful day.

Click here  to see the special section. http://tinyurl.com/4vzrfa3

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An Important History Lesson In Workplace Safety Laws

Guest Blog by John B. Boyd


“The only thing new under the sun is the history which you don’t know.” Harry S Truman


I am amazed at the number of Republicans and Democrats who love to credit our founding fathers with abundant wisdom, then conveniently ignore some of the historical facts about the legislation these legendary giants implemented during our early history. This is true whether for national health care, or, for appropriate workers’ compensation insurance coverage.


In 1798, the United States Congress passed an Act for Relief of Sick and Disabled Seamen. This law required all seamen who worked in the merchant marine (private companies) to pay a special tax to fund medical care and hospitals for seamen who were sick or injured. The government deemed that merchant seamen were necessary to the economic health of America and their hard labor jobs often produced injuries that if left untreated would result in an unnecessary loss of their labor and economic hardship for our country.


Thomas Jefferson was the Senate leader and John Adams the President. I dare say both of them were very familiar with our Constitution and it’s restrictions, yet they both helped put in place this common sense law and never once considered it an affront to personal liberty.


There is very little difference between that act and compulsory health insurance other than one is a tax and the other a fine if one doesn’t comply. Both require citizens to help fund their own health care. Both have the power to create a healthier workforce and consequently a healthier economy.


Next month marks the 100th anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, which is credited with the impetus for the need for strong unions; for national workers’ compensation laws; and, for states to enact safety laws regulating the workplace.


Today’s legislators would well be served by such history lessons.

John B. Boyd  practices in Kansas City, Missouri (www.boydkenterlaw.com). He was the former Acting Chairman of the Labor & Industrial Relations Commission of Missouri. John is a founding member of and Past-President of the Workers' Injury Law and Advocacy Group and a member and former Vice-President of the Missouri Trial Lawyers Association. He is a charter Fellow in the College of Workers' Compensation Lawyers. He is counsel to the Missouri AFL-CIO Lawyers Coordinating Committee and represents various labor organizations.

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Conference- The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire and its Legacy: Out of the Smoke and the Flame

The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire and its Legacy
March 24, 2011; 9 a.m. — 6:30 p.m.
CUNY Graduate Center, 365 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY, 10016
Registration is Free and Open to the Public

Program Click here for a printable PDF version9 – 9:15 a.m. Musical performance from the dramatic oratorio From the Fire

Kris Kukul, pianist Matt Carr Emily Mattheson
Shaunice Alexander Carrie Crow Alicia Olatuja
Catherine Brookman Roe Hartrampf Aaron Schroeder

Music by Elizabeth Swados, www.trianglefromthefire.com

9:15 – 9:25 a.m. Welcome

William Kelly, President, Graduate School & University Center, CUNY
Gregory Mantsios, Executive Director, The Murphy Institute, CUNY
Christine Quinn, Speaker, New York City Council

9:25 – 10:45 a.m. Plenary: The Political Significance and Present Day Legacy of the Triangle Fire

Moderated by Paula Finn, New Labor Forum, The Murphy Institute, CUNY

The Triangle Fire in its Historical Context
Steve Fraser, New Labor Forum, The Murphy Institute, CUNY

From Fire to Ashes: The Changed Contemporary Political Landscape
Frances Fox Piven, Graduate Center, CUNY

The Unfinished Business of Triangle Protest: Challenges and Possibilities Confronting Labor Today
Sarita Gupta, National Executive Director, Jobs with Justice

11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Concurrent Panels

Global Perspectives on Sweatshops (LAWCHA)
Beth English, Princeton University; Mary Frederickson, Miami University; Judy Gearhart,* International Labor Rights Forum; Robert Ross, Clark University

Why No Fire This Time? Acquiescence and Resistance in Politics Today
Liza Featherstone, Journalist; Steve Fraser,* New Labor Forum, Murphy Institute, CUNY; Gerry Hudson, Executive Vice President, SEIU; Stephen Pimpare, NYU

Memorializing the Past: Using Memorials and Monuments to Teach NY History
Wendy Aibel-Weiss, Director of Exhibits and Education, Tribute WTC Visitors Center; Julie Maurer,* The Gotham Center for NYC History, Graduate Center, CUNY; Christopher Moore, Historian; Ruth Sergel, Artist; Brian Tolle, Artist; Suzanne Wasserman,* The Gotham Center for NYC History, Graduate Center, CUNY; Maribeth Whitehouse, Teacher, I.S. 190, Bronx, NY

Labor and Immigration Politics: Past and Present
Muzaffar Chishti, Migration Policy Institute, NYU; Janice Fine, Rutgers University; Ruth Milkman,*Graduate Center, The Murphy Institute, CUNY; Mae Ngai, Columbia University

Labor Standards and the State
Melvyn Dubofsky, SUNY Binghamton; Terri Gerstein, Deputy Commissioner of Labor for Wage Protection and Immigrant Services, NYS Department of Labor; Rory Lancman, NY State Assemblyman and Chair of the Subcommittee on Workplace Safety; Ed Ott,* The Murphy Institute, CUNY

Grassroots Organizing for Workers’ Health and Safety Today
Luzdary Giraldo,* New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health; Barbara Rahke, Philadelphia Area Project on Occupational Safety and Health; Richard Witt, Rural and Migrant Ministry

Art and Working-Class Movements
Esther Cohen, Artist, Cultural Organizer; Ellen Todd,* George Mason University; Clyde Valentin, Hip Hop Theater Festival

Combating Domestic Sweatshops, a Roundtable (LAWCHA)
Eileen Boris,* University of California, Santa Barbara; Narbada Chhetri, Senior Community Organizer, Adhikaar for Human Rights and Social Justice, NYC; Jocelyn Gill-Campbell, Domestic Workers United;Premilla Nadasen, Queens College, CUNY

12:30 – 1:30 p.m. Lunch Break

1:30 – 2:45 p.m. Plenary: The Global Sweatshop

Moderated by Ruth Milkman, Graduate Center, The Murphy Institute, CUNY

The Economic Role of the Global Sweatshop
Saskia Sassen, Columbia University & London School of Economics

Workers’ Resistance in the Chinese Sweatshop
Ching Kwan Lee, University of California Los Angeles

Protecting Workers’ Rights in the Global Economy
Jennifer Gordon, Fordham University School of Law

Worker Protest Today in Bangladesh
Kalpona Akter, Secretary General & Executive Director of the Bangladesh Center for Worker Solidarity

3 – 4:30 p.m. Concurrent Panels

Garment Unionism and the Garment Industry: From Triangle to Today
May Chen,* former Vice-President Workers United, currently The Murphy Institute, CUNY; Richard Greenwald, Drew University; Katie Quan, former organizer for ILGWU, currently UC Berkeley; Andrew Ross, NYU

Teaching the Triangle Fire: A Conversation (LAWCHA)
Hillary Broder, Kennedy High School, Bellmore-Merrick, N.Y.; Carmelina Cartei, Women and Gender Studies Program at Hunter College, CUNY; Tara Finneran, Bronx Arts Ensemble Teaching Artist; Rob Linné,* Adelphi University; Sharon Papp, Adelphi University; Kimberly Schiller, Huntington Public Schools, N.Y.

Child Labor: Then and Now (LAWCHA)
Sally Greenberg, National Consumers League; Hugh D. Hindman, Appalachian State University; Kriste Lindenmeyer, University of Maryland Baltimore County; Laura Lovett,*University of Massachusetts

Global Sweatshops and International Solidarity: The Case of Bangladesh
Babul Akhter, Secretary of the Bangladesh Garments and Industrial Workers Federation; Mitch Cahn,President of Unionware; Bjorn Claeson, Sweatfree Communities, International Labor Rights Forum; Mark Levinson,* Workers United, SEIU

Feminism, Low-Wage Workers, and Organized Labor
Ileen DeVault,* School of Industrial and Labor Relations, Cornell University; Susan Feiner, Francis Perkins Center & University of Southern Maine; Annelise Orleck, Dartmouth College

OSHA at 40: From Triangle to Today
Eric Frumin,* Change To Win; Gerald Markowitz, Graduate Center, CUNY; David Michaels, Assistant Secretary of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration; Peg Seminario, AFL-CIO

The Legacy of Triangle and Youth Labor Organizing in the US
Laura Binger, Food AND Medicine; Theresa Cheng, United Students Against Sweatshops; Jennifer Polish, STAND, Queens College, CUNY; Andres Puerta,* American Federation of Television and Radio Artists

Could Triangle Happen Today?
Peter Amato, Safety Consultant and former president of the NY chapter of American Society of Safety Engineers; Matt Connor, NYFD and The Murphy Institute, CUNY; Robert Solomon, National Fire Protection Association

4:45 – 6:30 p.m. Closing Plenary: The Contemporary Legacy of the Triangle FireModerated by Joshua Freeman, Graduate Center, The Murphy Institute, CUNY

What is the Triangle Legacy?
Alice Kessler-Harris, Columbia University

From the Triangle Fire to the BP Explosion: Protecting Workers Today
David Michaels, Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA

Organized Labor and the Challenges of the Twenty-First Century
Bruce Raynor, President, Workers United, SEIU

* Panel Chairperson
7 – 8:30 p.m. Gotham Center for NY History Plenary Discussion
(Separate Free Registration Required)

Rich Greenwald, Drew University
Annelise Orleck, Dartmouth College
Ellen Todd, George Mason University
Jennifer Guglielmo, Smith College
David Von Drehle (Author)
Ruth Sergel (Artist, Organizer, Remember The Fire Coalition)

To Follow: Book signing of Arcadia Press’ The New York City Triangle Factory Fire

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