The Triangle Shirtwaist Company had already become well-known outside the garment industry by 1911: the massive
strike by women's shirtwaist makers in 1909, known as the Uprising of 20,000, began with a
spontaneous walkout at the Triangle Company. While the International Ladies' Garment Workers'
Union negotiated a collective bargaining agreement
covering most of those workers after a four-month strike, Triangle Shirtwaist
refused to sign the agreement. The conditions of the factory were typical of the
time. Flammable textiles were stored throughout the
factory, scraps of fabric littered the floors, patterns and designs on sheets of
tissue paper hung above the tables, the men who worked as cutters sometimes
smoked, illumination was provided by open gas
lighting, and there were a few buckets of water to extinguish
fires. The fire led to legislation requiring
improved factory safety standards and helped spur the growth of the International Ladies' Garment Workers'
Union, (now known as UNITE/HERE) which fought for better
working conditions for sweatshop workers in that
industry.

AND Women’s Union
Power is not only in the History Books!
Last year was the first year in over
twenty that union density did not fall in United States.

Why? WOMEN!

(WOMENSNEWS)--The
first increase in union membership in a quarter of a century was recorded in
2007 with employment sectors traditionally dominated by women driving the
turnaround.

Nearly two-thirds of
new union members last year were women, who now represent 44 percent of union
membership, an all-time high.

Amid signs that union
membership declines are bottoming out, Maria Elena Durazo, executive
secretary-treasurer of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO,
which represents over 800,000 workers, is cautiously optimistic about the future
for unions as well as for organizing more female workers.

"We face greater
challenges than ever because we are up against powerful multinational
corporations," said Durazo, whose union
represents workers in the hotel, apparel and food service industries. "But I'm
confident that we can meet the challenges because the best recruiting tool is a
satisfied union member."

Read the full story here. 

So on March
8^th (and everyday) celebrate the union power of the women you
know!