Walmart garment factory fire in Bangladesh

[No Elephants]

Nov 27, 6:44 AM EST

Fire highlights harsh lives of Bangladesh workers

By JULHAS ALAM
Associated Press

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) -- Clothing is king in Bangladesh, a country that exports more garments than any other in the world except China. It is responsible for four out of every five export dollars and has turned factory owners into members of parliament and leaders of sports clubs.

That strength has often been turned against the workers in those factories, especially those who complain about poor working conditions and pay that can be less than $40 a month. A law-enforcement agency called the Industrial Police is specifically assigned to deal with unrest in factories, and labor activists accuse government forces of killing one of their leaders. Employees are barred by law from forming trade unions, even though Bangladesh allows workers in other industries to unionize.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_BANGLADESH_FACTORY_FIRE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-11-27-06-44-14


Reminds me of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in Manhattan in 1911.

The fire led to legislation requiring improved factory safety standards and helped spur the growth of the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union, which fought for better working conditions for sweatshop workers.

<snip>

Although early references of the death toll ranged from 141<22> to 148,<23> almost all modern references agree that 146 people died as a result of the fire: 129 women and 17 men.<24><25><26><27><28><29><30> Most victims died of burns, asphyxiation, blunt impact injuries, or a combination of the three.<31>

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triangle_Shirtwaist_Factory_fire

If you think of the total population of the U.S. then, losing 146 people to a single fire then would be like losing over 500 people in a single fire today.

Unsafe working conditions, including those at Triangle were one of many things that had a lot to do with the early success of unions. OSHA was passed by a Democratic Congress and signed into law in 1970 by a Republican President (Nixon). Building codes were also affected.

[Enthusiast]

1. The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire was the first thing that came to mind.

[No Elephants]

2. That always made a huge impression on me because both my parents were

members of the International Ladies Garment Workers Union. (Don't know what the "Ladies" was doing in there. My mom sewed men's suits and overcoats, too.)

So, when I heard about the factory fire as a kid (not from my parents), all I could picture was my mom at her factory sewing maching among all the women that died that day. It was traumatizing for a little kid. Maybe that is another reason why I am so pro-union.