Triangle Shirtwaist factory in New York City
About a century ago, the Triangle Shirtwaist factory in New York City caught fire on the top floors of its building. At the time, there were about 500 workers, of which most of them were young Italian and Jewish women. Out of this, 146 of them did not make it out of the fire alive. The cause of the fire remains a mystery till today, but it is suspected that someone dropped a cigarette or a match in a bin. The exit door was locked, and the women were trapped inside. The women tried to escape the fire through the elevator, but it could only make just a few trips before it was also covered in flames. The manager even tried to extinguish the fire using a fire hose but was fruitless as its opening valve was rusted shut. This analysis expounds on the reasons that led to these devastating conditions that costed so many lives. It also seeks to identify the perceptions of employees and employees about equity, voice, and efficiency.
Those who worked in this factory were faced with poor working conditions. They also worked for long hours at meager wages. The tragedy showed how powerless workers were in the absence of collective bargaining. Several years after the disaster, Frances Perkins was appointed as the first female cabinet secretary in the position of secretary of labor. Her appointment brought about the formulation of the Social Security Act has marked one of the most essential crucial components in social legislation. In her years in power, she helped to create insurance for the unemployed, formed labor unions, formulated worker’s rights, and setting up minimum wage laws. She did this having the Triangle Factory victims in mind. From the incident, employees have been given a voice where they have been handed the power to negotiate how they are paid. Workers can also bargain for their conditions of employment, such as the hours of working. For instance, state public employees can negotiate for wages and salaries and benefits. Presently, the issue of collective bargaining in the public sector worker is still applied.