Remembering the 113th Anniversary of the Triangle Fire

On March 25, 1911, 146 workers—mostly young, immigrant women—were killed in a horrific fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory at Washington Place and Greene Street in lower Manhattan. Inadequate fire escapes, locked doors, and an overall disregard for worker safety contributed to the tragedy.

On Monday, the NYC Central Labor Council AFL-CIO, Workers United SEIU, and the Remember the Triangle Fire Coalition hosted a commemoration of the 113th Anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire. During the event, family members and others read the names of workers who perished during the blaze, and flowers were laid at the site of the fire, the building that is now home to a stunning and long-awaited memorial. A fire truck ladder was raised to the 6th floor of the building, the highest point it could reach in 1911, although the fire engulfed the 8th, 9th, and 10th floors.

Held annually, this commemoration educates rank and file members, activists, students, and our community allies about workplace safety, collective bargaining rights, and the importance of standing together to protect workers’ safety. We were joined this year by NYS Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon, FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh, young activists from El Puente who told the story of the fire, and representatives of Los Deliveristas Unidos, Starbucks Workers United, NYU Pay Your Workers, and the Workers Circle. NYC Public School teacher Jameel McKanstry, the FDNY's Regina Wilson, and the NYC Labor Chorus performed for the crowd.

If you weren't able to be there in person, click below for a livestream of the program and click here to see more photos. To learn more about the permanent Triangle Fire memorial which was dedicated in October, please visit the Remember the Triangle Fire Coalition website at www.rememberthetrianglefire.org.