By Sahid Fawaz
Next time you hear someone complain workplace regulations and unions, remind them of the fire at the the Triangle Shirtwaist factory in 1911. Unrestrained by workplace safety laws, the factory owners had locked the exits to the stairwells so that the workers – mostly young women aged 16 to 23 – could not take unauthorized breaks. The result was the unnecessary deaths of 146 people who couldn’t escape the fire.