Today is the 100 year anniversary of the tragic fire in New Yorks garment industry. The employees of Triangle Shirtwaist were mostly immigrant women. An attempt to unionize and make working conditions safer but was blocked by the company. Just two years later the factory caught fire and killed an estimated 146, mostly women lost their lives as they leapt from the building to escape the fire. The workers were corralled to one exit to prevent theft and the fire escapes just collapsed as they tried to escape. This tragedy set in motion reforms for worker safety and rights in organized labor. Since women were the majority of the victims Eleanor Roosevelt began championing for their rights in the workplace.
Sexual Harassment attorneys also fight for women’s rights in the workplace. Many things have improved in the factories and other places we work such as safety and working hours. The next challenge is eliminating sexual harassment on the job. The diligence of sexual harassment lawyers has made things easier for men and women who have experienced harassment.
The problem of sexual harassment is still rampant in the workplace with an average of 40 to 60 percent of women being subjected to comments or propositions while on the job. When subjected to harassment at work the expertise of a sexual harassment attorney can alleviate the issue and gain the victim compensatory damages for their victimization. Despite the many changes in worker’s rights over the decades since the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire, sexual harassment is still prevalent.
