IV

107TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. CON. RES. 81

Recognizing the historical significance of the Triangle Fire and honoring

its victims on the occasion of the 90th anniversary of the tragic event.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

MARCH 22, 2001

Mr. PASCRELL (for himself, Mr. KING, Mr. ANDREWS, Mr. SMITH of New

Jersey, Ms. KAPTUR, and Mr. PALLONE) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Education and

the Workforce

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Recognizing the historical significance of the Triangle Fire

and honoring its victims on the occasion of the 90th

anniversary of the tragic event.

Whereas on March 25, 1911, a fire, commonly referred to as

the Triangle Fire, broke out at the Triangle Shirtwaist

Company factory, located on the top floors of the Asch

Building on the corner of Greene Street and Washington

Place in New York City;

Whereas the fire swept through the top 3 stories of the building in only 1⁄2 hour;

Whereas 146 of the 600 Triangle factory employees died in

the tragic fire;
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•HCON 81 IH

Whereas many of the Triangle factory workers were women,

some as young as 15 years old;

Whereas most of the workers were recent European Jewish

or Italian immigrants who had come to the United States

with their families to seek a better life;

Whereas fire inspections and precautions at the time were

woefully inadequate;

Whereas the Triangle factory had never conducted a fire drill

and had locked doors, poor sanitation, and crowding;

Whereas in the wake of this tragedy, people throughout the

Nation demanded restitution, justice, and action that

would safeguard the vulnerable and oppressed, and there

were massive protests by people angry at the lack of concern and the greed that had made the Triangle fire possible;

Whereas during the next 20 years, there was a substantial

effort to alleviate the most dangerous aspects of sweatshop manufacturing in New York and throughout the

Nation;

Whereas the labor movement and progressive organizations

fought a long and difficult battle to secure the right of

workers to safe, decent working conditions;

Whereas the last survivor of the factory blaze, Rose Freedman, passed away on February 17, 2001, at the age of

107;

Whereas although the public outrage resulting from the Triangle Fire eventually faded, the fire was not forgotten

nor was it the only such event in the history of American

workers; and
3

•HCON 81 IH

Whereas the Triangle Fire brought attention to the many serious problems facing factory workers and paved the way

for worker protection laws: Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate

2 concurring), That the Congress, on the occasion of the

3 90th anniversary of the fire that occurred on March 25,

4 1911, at the Triangle Shirtwaist Company factory, com5 monly referred to as the Triangle Fire—

6 (1) honors the victims of the Triangle Fire;

7 (2) recognizes the historical significance of the

8 Triangle Fire in the struggle for worker safety

9 standards and protections; and

10 (3) commends all the government agencies,

11 labor unions, and industry groups that attempted to

12 aid the victims of the Triangle Fire and played in13 strumental parts in facilitating lasting improvement

14 in worker safety standards and protections.

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