Collective Action, Strikes, and Labour Resistance in the United States

The Uprising of 20,000

The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory was long the focus of the struggle for labour rights and safety. Conditions sparked an eleven-week general strike in the New York garment industry in 1909 called the “Uprising of 20,000." This was the largest strike by American women workers to date. 20,000 Yiddish-speaking immigrants, mostly young women in their teens and early 20s, organized and took to the streets.

The city of New York was the center of shirtwaist production in the early 20th century. A large proportion of the workers were unskilled women who earned around three to four dollars a week. They were also largely immigrants who had no other option but to take low-paid jobs in the garment industry to make ends meet. The wildcat strike arose spontaneously against major employers in the industry. Among them was the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, the largest manufacturer of shirt blouses at the time. Although a few agreements were reached, the managers of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in remained steadfast. The strikers faced great resistance. The police, judges and manufacturers were hostile. These were the police officers who would later help on the day of the accident at the factory.

The trade unions already played a key role in this strike. The Women's Trade Union League campaigned vehemently for the striking women. At its peak, 20,000 people demonstrated for better wages, working hours, safety and against humiliation in the workplace. Of the participants, 90 percent were Jewish and 70 percent were women.

However, despite strong support from the public, the strike is widely considered a failure. Higher wages and shorter working hours were achieved, but no right to collective bargaining. Furthermore, there was a split between the liberal Women's Trade Union League and the more radical trade unionists of the ILGWU, whose history would shape the trade unions of today.

Contributed by Markus Seegers (Ruhr-Universität Bochum)