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 concur-
rent 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 build-
ing in only 1⁄2 hour;
Whereas 146 of the 600 Triangle factory employees died in
the tragic fire;
•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 con-
cern and the greed that had made the Triangle fire pos-
sible;
Whereas during the next 20 years, there was a substantial
effort to alleviate the most dangerous aspects of sweat-
shop 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 Freed-
man, passed away on February 17, 2001, at the age of
107;
Whereas although the public outrage resulting from the Tri-
angle Fire eventually faded, the fire was not forgotten
nor was it the only such event in the history of American
workers; and
•HCON 81 IH
Whereas the Triangle Fire brought attention to the many se-
rious problems facing factory workers and paved the way
for worker protection laws: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That the Congress, on the occasion of the
90th anniversary of the fire that occurred on March 25,
1911, at the Triangle Shirtwaist Company factory, com-
monly referred to as the Triangle Fire—
(1) honors the victims of the Triangle Fire;
(2) recognizes the historical significance of the
Triangle Fire in the struggle for worker safety
standards and protections; and
(3) commends all the government agencies,
labor unions, and industry groups that attempted to
aid the victims of the Triangle Fire and played in-
strumental parts in facilitating lasting improvement
in worker safety standards and protections.
Æ