International Ladies Garment Workers Union (ILGWU), former industrial union in the United States and Canada that represented workers in the womens clothing industry. When the CIO became the Congress of Industrial Organizations in 1938, the ILGWU withdrew and two years later returned to the AFL.

What caused the fire that broke out at the Triangle factory on March 25 1911?

What Started The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire? On March 25, a Saturday afternoon, there were 600 workers at the factory when a fire began in a rag bin. The manager attempted to use the fire hose to extinguish it, but was unsuccessful, as the hose was rotted and its valve was rusted shut.

Why is March 25 1911 one of the most important dates in labor history?

On Saturday, March 25, 1911, at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in the heart of New York City, a lethal fire broke out on the factory floor, located at the top of the ten-story Asch Building near Washington Square East. The New York Shirtwaist Strike of 1909—also known as the Uprising of the 20,000—had begun.

Why didnt all the workers on the 9th floor escape to safety?

But on the ninth floor only one stairway exit was open. It was company policy to force all employees to leave through one exit so their bags could be checked for pilferage. As a result, everyone trying to leave through the Washington Place exit found themselves locked in.