March 25, 2017, is the 106th Anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire in New York’s Greenwich Village. This tragedy took the lives of 146 young immigrant garment workers and galvanized a reform movement to raise standards for workers.
At UNITE HERE’s headquarters in New York, staff and members will gather to remember the victims with a reading of their names and testimony from one of the survivors. The ceremony will be accompanied by a special display in the union building lobby at 275 7th Avenue, located in the heart of New York’s Garment District.
To learn more about the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, visit Cornell University’s Kheel Center.
This incident has had great significance to this day because it highlights the inhumane working conditions to which industrial workers can be subjected. To many, its horrors epitomize the extremes of industrialism.
“It is by remembering our past that we prepare to fight for our future. We are measured by how we protect the most vulnerable and ensure their health and safety to pursue life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, that is our guiding light.”
—D. Taylor, President, UNITE HERE
The tragedy still dwells in the collective memory of the nation and of the international labor movement. The victims of the tragedy are still celebrated as martyrs at the hands of industrial greed.
The fire at the Triangle Waist Company in New York City is one of the worst disasters since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. The Asch Building was one of the new “fireproof” buildings, but the blaze on March 25th was not their first. It was also not the only unsafe building in the city.
On the corner of Greene Street and Washington Place, fire fighters struggle to save workers and control the blaze. The tallest fire truck ladders reached only to the sixth floor, 30 feet below those standing on window ledges waiting for rescue. Many men and women jumped from the windows to their deaths. Photographer: unknown, March 25, 1911.
An officer stands at the Asch Building’s 9th floor window after the Triangle Fire. Sewing machines, drive shafts, and other wreckage of the factory fire are piled in the center of the room. Photographer: Brown Brothers, 1911.
In the April 5th funeral procession for the seven unidentified fire victims, members of the United Hebrew Trades of New York and the Ladies Waist and Dressmakers Union Local 25, International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union, the local that organized Triangle Waist Company workers, carry banners proclaiming “We Mourn Our Loss.” Photographer: unknown, April 5, 1911.
The Triangle Fire Memorial to the six unidentified victims in the Evergreens Cemetery, Brooklyn, NY, was created in 1912 by Evelyn Beatrice Longman. The six bodies were all recently identified by Michael Hirsch, who worked tirelessly to recognize the names of the unidentified victims.
The victims names:
• Lizzie Adler, 24
• Anna Altman, 16
• Annina Ardito, 25
• Rose Bassino, 31
• Vincenza Benanti, 22
• Yetta Berger, 18
• Essie Bernstein, 19
• Jacob Bernstein, 38
• Morris Bernstein, 19
• Vincenza Billota, 16
• Abraham Binowitz, 30
• Gussie Birman, 22
• Rosie Brenman, 23
• Sarah Brenman, 17
• Ida Brodsky, 15
• Sarah Brodsky, 21
• Ada Brucks, 18
• Laura Brunetti, 17
• Josephine Cammarata, 17
• Francesca Caputo, 17
• Josephine Carlisi, 31
• Albina Caruso, 20
• Annie Ciminello, 36
• Rosina Cirrito, 18
• Anna Cohen, 25
• Annie Colletti, 30
• Sarah Cooper, 16
• Michelina Cordiano, 25
• Bessie Dashefsky, 25
• Josie Del Castillo, 21
• Clara Dockman, 19
• Kalman Donick, 24
• Nettie Driansky, 21
• Celia Eisenberg, 17
• Dora Evans, 18
• Rebecca Feibisch, 20
• Yetta Fichtenholtz, 18
• Daisy Lopez Fitze, 26
• Mary Floresta, 26
• Max Florin, 23
• Jenne Franco, 16
• Rose Friedman, 18
• Diana Gerjuoy, 18
• Molly Gerstein, 17
• Catherine Giannattasio, 22
• Celia Gitlin, 17
• Esther Goldstein, 20
• Lena Goldstein, 22
• Mary Goldstein, 18
• Yetta Goldstein, 20
• Rosie Grasso, 16
• Bertha Greb, 25
• Rachel Grossman, 18
• Mary Herman, 40
• Esther Hochfeld, 21
• Fannie Hollander, 18
• Pauline Horowitz, 19
• Ida Jukofsky, 19
• Ida Kanowitz, 18
• Tessie Kaplan, 18
• Beckie Kessler, 19
• Jacob Klein, 23
• Beckie Koppelman, 16
• Bertha Kula, 19
• Tillie Kupferschmidt, 16
• Benjamin Kurtz, 19
• Annie L’Abbate, 16
• Fannie Lansner, 21
• Maria Giuseppa Lauletti, 33
• Jennie Lederman, 21
• Max Lehrer, 18
• Sam Lehrer, 19
• Kate Leone, 14
• Mary Leventhal, 22
• Jennie Levin, 19 • Pauline Levine, 19
• Nettie Liebowitz, 23
• Rose Liermark, 19
• Bettina Maiale, 8
• Frances Maiale, 21
• Catherine Maltese, 39
• Lucia Maltese, 20
• Rosaria Maltese, 14
• Maria Manaria, 27
• Rose Mankofsky, 22
• Rose Mehl, 15
• Yetta Meyers, 19
• Gaetana Midolo, 16
• Annie Miller, 16
• Beckie Neubauer, 19
• Annie Nicholas, 18
• Michelina Nicolosi, 21
• Sadie Nussbaum, 18
• Julia Oberstein, 19
• Rose Oringer, 19
• Beckie Ostrovsky, 20
• Annie Pack, 18
• Provindenza Panno, 43
• Antonietta Pasqualicchio, 16
• Ida Pearl, 20
• Jennie Pildescu, 18
• Vincenza Pinelli, 30
• Emilia Prato, 21
• Concetta Prestifilippo, 22
• Beckie Reines, 18
• Louis Rosen (Loeb), 33
• Fannie Rosen, 21
• Israel Rosen, 17
• Julia Rosen, 35
• Yetta Rosenbaum, 22
• Jennie Rosenberg, 21
• Gussie Rosenfeld, 22
• Emma Rothstein, 22
• Theodore Rotner, 22
• Sarah Sabasowitz, 17
• Santina Salemi, 24
• Sarafina Saracino, 25
• Teresina Saracino, 20
• Gussie Schiffman, 18
• Theresa Schmidt, 32
• Ethel Schneider, 20
• Violet Schochet, 21
• Golda Schpunt, 19
• Margaret Schwartz, 24
• Jacob Seltzer, 33
• Rosie Shapiro, 17
• Ben Sklover, 25
• Rose Sorkin, 18
• Annie Starr, 30
• Jennie Stein, 18
• Jennie Stellino, 16
• Jennie Stiglitz, 22
• Sam Taback, 20
• Clotilde Terranova, 22
• Isabella Tortorelli, 17
• Meyer Utal, 23
• Catherine Uzzo, 22
• Frieda Velakofsky, 20
• Bessie Viviano, 15
• Rosie Weiner, 20
• Sarah Weintraub, 17
• Tessie Weisner, 21
• Dora Welfowitz, 21
• Bertha Wendroff, 18
• Joseph Wilson, 22
• Sonia Wisotsky, 17
“We are the Union of hospitality workers, including thousands of workers at airports across the U.S., who everyday welcome travelers and refugees from all over the globe.
“The Trump Administration is fooling nobody; today’s order is another Muslim and refugee ban, despite a few surface tweaks. This administration has been adamant about targeting a group of individuals based on their faith, including some of the world’s most vulnerable refugees. These orders are reckless, dangerous and fuel anti-American sentiment to make us less safe.
“But since inauguration day, we’ve seen what we can do when we resist this kind of ugliness together. Our members – immigrant, refugee, and native-born – will continue to build power and defend our sisters and brothers against attacks in their workplaces, homes or communities.
“We are inspired to be part of the growing coalition of ordinary people working to realize the American dream: equality and opportunity for all.”
—Maria Elena Durazo, UNITE HERE General Vice-President
“These executive orders are troubling, and hurt those of us with families overseas in the countries targeted by this ban. I have my mother in Yemen who we’ve been trying to get here. And even though I’m a U.S. citizen, I’m too scared to risk visiting her because who knows what Trump might try to change before I would be able to return home.
“But Trump thinks the changes to this travel ban mean people won’t respond with protests like we did the last time. But he’s wrong. We’re not going to back down. We’re just going to grow stronger. Because if these attacks can happen to our Muslim communities, they can happen to anyone. So, we have to stick together and fight.”
—Ali Shohatee, MGM Detroit Shop Steward/UNITE HERE Local 24 Executive Board Member
BOSTON, MA—UNITE HERE Local 26 members who work in food service at Northeastern University announced today they will hold a 1-day strike starting at 12:00 noon on Friday, January 20. Workers will walk off the job to march with students to rallies in Boston during President-Elect Donald Trump’s Inauguration.
The strike is inspired by the guiding principles of Local 26, “Our American Principles,” which includes calls to stand with immigrant families and in support of measures that provide better jobs.
“We call on our country’s leaders to join us and the majority of people who share the values of equality and prosperity for all,” said UNITE HERE Local 26 President Brian Lang. “There can be no compromise on our values.”
UNITE HERE Local 26 dining hall workers at Harvard held a 3-week strike in October.
What: Food service workers at Northeastern University to strike and join protests during President-Elect Donald Trump’s inauguration
Who: Northeastern Food service workers joined by students of Northeastern University and other Local 26 members
When: Workers will begin the strike at 12:00 noon on Friday, January 20, 2017 and will resume work on the morning shift Saturday, January 21, 2017.
Where: at Northeastern University with a march to Boston Common and other protest locations throughout the day
Contact: Tiffany Ten Eyck, [email protected], 313-515-1807
The 2016 election sounded a powerful wake up call for America and the labor movement. As Congress organizes itself, a new Trump Administration is formed, and the Democrats decide who is to lead their party, we have a choice: learn what works and start to win again, or repeat the same mistakes and end up with more of the same results.
Our Union re-learned two key lessons this election cycle. First, we win when workers talk to our neighbors, and lose when we don’t. Second, issues matter – health care, immigration, jobs, and wages. And we took both directly to the doorstep.
We had important successes based on this approach. Nevada was the only swing state to vote blue. Working with allies in Nevada, we won for Hillary Clinton, elected Catherine Cortez Masto the first latina Senator in US history and elected Ruben Kihuen, the son of a Culinary Union member, to the House. Nevada flipped two GOP incumbent House seats and turned both state legislative chambers from red to blue, the only state to do either. With an inspiring worker, immigrant, faith and student coalition in Arizona, we finally defeated anti-immigrant Sheriff Joe Arpaio, after registering and mobilizing 150,000 voters.
We all know we need to double down on face to face organizing. But our biggest challenge may be just listening to what voters are saying. A huge portion of our members are immigrants fighting for a decent life. Now, they see the Republicans scapegoating their entire communities as rapists and murders. Our diverse membership also see the Republicans attacking their economic security by trying to tax their health care.
The next few months may get very ugly. We are all going to have to stand strong against attacks on immigrants, health care, unions and working people everywhere. In this climate, it’s clear to me that Rep. Keith Ellison will serve ably as the next chairman of the Democratic National Committee. He is an organizer who listens, looks you in the eye and can tell uncomfortable truths. Rep. Ellison gets that elections are won on doorsteps, not in Washington consultants’ offices. That’s why our Union endorsed him.
We also urge DNC members to support Maria Elena Durazo, for one of the DNC Vice-Chair positions. She is the only national labor leader running for this position. She is a union organizer and has the experience of turning California from red to blue.
We must put workers at the center of American politics and the economy. When millions of workers are talking to their neighbors about health care, jobs inequality and justice for everyone in this country, we have a chance to win and win big.
UNITE HERE Local 100 members attended New York Mayor Bill De Blasio’s bill signing, on October 31st 2016 at city hall, enacting legislation that protects food service workers. This bill requires a 90-day retention period, for food service workers, when an owner or operator terminates a food service contract for a corporate cafeteria, college, arena, or cultural institution.
This bill benefits so many hardworking men and women in the food service industry in New York, along with families, who depend on these jobs. The Worker Retention Bill will give these workers job security by giving them time to plan ahead or stay after an evaluation process by their new employer. “This is a victory, not only for our union members, but for all food service workers in New York City. It is also a victory for employers who now have the opportunity to hire an experienced work force,” said Jose Maldonado, Secretary Treasurer of UNITE HERE Local 100, which represents over 15,000 food service workers.
Members of Local 100 work in landmark locations such as MetLife Stadium, Madison Square Garden, Barclay Center, 21 Club and airports. Members of UNITE HERE and non-union workers alike can breathe a sigh of relief knowing they are now protected from this issue. “Job security is a major factor for me and this bill is great for working people. It’s good to know that people can expect that throughout the city,” Andrew Larrier Vendor at Madison Square Garden.
March 25, 2017, is the 106th Anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire in New York’s Greenwich Village. This tragedy took the lives of 146 young immigrant garment workers and galvanized a reform movement to raise standards for workers.
