A century ago this week, as hundreds of women and some men toiled inside, a fire broke out at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York. Within minutes flames engulfed the top floors of the factory, trapping many workers inside. Some of them crowded onto an outside fire escape which collapsed from the weight and the heat of the fire, plummeting a hundred feet, killing everyone on it. Another fire escape had been locked by the factory owners to prevent theft. Witnesses say dozens of people jumped from the burning building to their death below. In all 146 people died, most of them immigrant workers. The event galvanized activists and became the impetus for major changes in the labor industry including the creation of guidelines for safe working conditions, new collective bargaining rights and better pay. But 100 years on what’s the legacy of the men and women who lost their lives in that fire? How much has the garment industry changed? And is Los Angeles the hotbed of sweatshop labor that many think it is? We’ll get the latest from industry and labor insiders and hear your thoughts on the So Cal garment industry.
Guests:
Julie Su, Litigation Director for the Asian Pacific American Legal Center
Ilse Metchek, Executive Director of the California Fashion Association