UW Seminar to Commemorate 100th Anniversary of Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire

The UW Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences (DEOHS) has organized a special seminar to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire of 1911. The tragic fire killed 146 garment workers and sparked a new era in regulation and labor activism focused on worker rights, health, and safety. The seminar is co-sponsored by the Harry Bridges Labor Center and the UW-Bothell Master of Arts in Policy Studies program.

Responding to Disasters in the Workplace:
Lessons from the Past, of the Present, and for the Future.
A symposium marking the 100th anniversary of The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire

Date: Thursday, March 31st
Time: 4:00pm-6:00pm
Location: South Campus Center, Room 316
Post Event Reception: South Campus Center, Room 354 (Crow's Nest)
More info: contact Sean Schmidt, 206-543-2837

Speakers:
The Past: Gerald Markowitz. "The Revolution in Workplace Safety and Health: The Triangle Fire and its Aftermath."
Gerald Markowitz is Distinguished Professor of History at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and the Graduate Center, City University of New York. Together with David Rosner he has authored books and articles on the history of public health, environmental health, and occupational safety and health, including Deceit and Denial: The Deadly Politics of Industrial Pollution (University of California Press, 2002).

The Present: Tom O'Connor. "Confronting the Anti-Regulatory Agenda: Current National Advocacy Campaigns to Advance Worker Health and Safety Protections."
Tom O’Connor is the Executive Director of the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health, the umbrella organization for 20 state and local “COSH” groups, or Coalitions on Occupational Safety and Health. He has over 20 years of experience working as an advocate for workers’ health and safety. He has been involved with the “COSH” groups since 1994. He also coordinates the national policy advocacy efforts of the Protecting Workers Alliance, a broad-based group of worker health and safety advocates.

The Future: Interdisciplinary panel of students from across UW, including DEOHS and the Harry Bridges Labor Center.