IV 
108TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. CON. RES. 115
Recognizing the historical significance of the Triangle Fire and honoring 
its victims on the occasion of the 92nd anniversary of the tragic event. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 25, 2003
Mr. PASCRELL (for himself and Mr. KING of New York) submitted the fol-
lowing 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 92nd 
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; 
Whereas many of the Triangle factory workers were women, 
some as young as 15 years old;
•HCON 115 IH 
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 
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
•HCON 115 IH 
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
concurring), That—
(1) the Congress, on the occasion of the 92nd 
anniversary of the fire that occurred at the Triangle 
Shirtwaist Company factory, commonly referred to 
as the Triangle Fire— 
(A) honors the victims of the Triangle 
Fire; 
(B) recognizes the historical significance of 
the Triangle Fire in the struggle for worker 
safety standards and protections; 
(C) commends all the government agencies, 
labor unions, and industry groups that at-
tempted to aid the victims of the Triangle Fire 
and played instrumental parts in facilitating 
lasting improvement in worker safety standards 
and protections; and 
(D) acknowledges that work site fires and 
other hazards continue to be a problem; and 
(2) it is the sense of the Congress that the Fed-
eral Government should take all appropriate meas-
ures to enforce safety regulations prompted by the 
Triangle Fire.
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