Today (March 25^th) is the 100^th Anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, which took the lives of 146 young women garment workers in New York City who were locked in and could not escape. This horrific event launched worker organizing in the garment industry and also resulted in many of our current fire codes.

This is a time to reflect on the accomplishments of labor and human rights groups to reform the apparel industry and to remember that there are still sweatshops in the US and worldwide and the fires are still raging.

On December 14, 2010, a preventable fire raged at a factory producing for JC Penney, Abercrombie, and Phillips-Van Heusen in Bangladesh. It resulted in at least 35 deaths and left hundreds of other garment workers injured.

We in Washington state worked to pass a SweatFree Purchasing Policy in Seattle last June and we need to increase our efforts to pass a similar policy at the state level. State Senator Conway has agreed to champion this issue in WA State with strong support from the Governor’s office. We thank him and everyone working on a SweatFree Purchasing Policy for WA State. Help put out the fires once and for all in sweatshops around the world.

For more information about the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire Commemoration visit http://rememberthetrianglefire.org/ Remember the Triangle Fire Coalition

Today (March 25^th) is the 100^th Anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, which took the lives of 146 young women garment workers in New York City who were locked in and could not escape. This horrific event launched worker organizing in the garment industry and also resulted in many of our current fire codes.

This is a time to reflect on the accomplishments of labor and human rights groups to reform the apparel industry and to remember that there are still sweatshops in the US and worldwide and the fires are still raging.

On December 14, 2010, a preventable fire raged at a factory producing for JC Penney, Abercrombie, and Phillips-Van Heusen in Bangladesh. It resulted in at least 35 deaths and left hundreds of other garment workers injured.

We in Washington state worked to pass a SweatFree Purchasing Policy in Seattle last June and we need to increase our efforts to pass a similar policy at the state level. State Senator Conway has agreed to champion this issue in WA State with strong support from the Governor’s office. We thank him and everyone working on a SweatFree Purchasing Policy for WA State. Help put out the fires once and for all in sweatshops around the world.

For more information about the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire Commemoration visit http://rememberthetrianglefire.org/ Remember the Triangle Fire Coalition