Bottom line

Still, 113 years after Great Aunt Fannie's death, America's labor movement — which got a huge boost in the aftermath of the Triangle Fire — isn't what it used to be.

Businesses learned to successfully push back against labor. Union corruption tarnished the movement's image. And organized labor hotbeds — notably manufacturing jobs — became less common and less important in the U.S. economy as many of these jobs shifted overseas.

During the past 40 years, U.S. unions have lost one-fifth of their members as their share of all workers was halved to 10% from 20%.

In California, membership is up 20% since 1983 , but the statewide workforce grew by 70%. So, 15% of workers are unionized versus 22% 40 years ago.

Labor's long run

Labor progress isn't best measured in short-term cycles.

Yes, there were some immediate prolabor lawmaking efforts immediately after the Triangle Fire, especially in New York.

The 10-story structure that housed the doomed factory had no sprinklers and never performed a fire drill. After the disaster, building codes and workplace safety rules were swiftly upgraded. The first attempt at nationwide building codes was launched in 1927.

New York also was quick to place limits on how many hours children could work. The U.S. Department of Labor formed in 1913. Railroad workers were the first to win a mandated eight-hour workday in 1916.

Still, it wasn't until 1935 that the right to strike was recognized nationally. It took the U.S. civil rights movement in 1963-64 to make discrimination at the workplace a federal offense when it came to hiring or pay.

Consider that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration — the nation's workplace safety agency — wasn't created until 1970.

And ponder the site of the Triangle Fire, today a New York University property.

The Brown Building, as it is now known, was only made a National Historic Landmark in 1991. Last year, a formal memorial to the fire and its victims — including my Great Aunt Fannie — was finished at the site.

The struggle to deftly juggle business, profitability and worker rights and safety is no easy task.

Yet, let me remind you that 5,486 Americans died on the job in 2022, the most recent data available. That's 10% above the previous 10-year average.

In California, there were 504 workplace fatalities — second only to Texas — and 24% above the 10-year pace.

Yes, work can be dangerous. Accidents happen. Zero deaths is not an unreasonable goal.

Still, Great Aunt Fannie and the 145 other Triangle Fire victims should remind us that we should always do better.

Well done! Your story is a wonderful illustration of the power of hanging on to great performers through thick and thin for many years — if not decades — as long as they remain healthy and promising.

With Amazon shares making up a major portion of your portfolio, you have lots of eggs in one basket. If for some reason Amazon shares sink sharply (a not-impossible event), they'll

Write to us: