Another Triangle Shirt Factory

         Last week the New York Times published "The Human Price" which is "the first of two articles examining failures to protect garment workers in poor countries who make much of the world's clothing." A fire in Bangladesh Tazreen Fashions Limited proved a "gap in safety for global brands." It instantly reminded me of the tragic Triangle shirtwaist factory fire in which victims were trapped behind locked doors. Who would have known that this is still going on today, nearly a century later? Recently in Bangladesh, upon hearing the fire alarm, workers were startled and told that it was just a drill and to go back to work. Meanwhile managers blocked the stair case doors. Smoke started to rise from the first floor. It turned out that "mounds of flammable yarn and fabric were illegally stored on the ground floor near electrical generators" caught fire. There was really no way out for the people above. Safety was inadequate and in no way were the workers prepared for a fire of this magnitude. And who was the Tazreen factory making clothes for?

The staircase at the Tazreen Factory shows terribly
inadequate fire safety preparations.

         Tazreen produced apparel for stores in Europe and the United States. On the fifth floor, workers were making shorts for Walmart; on the sixth floor, workers were making lingerie for Sears. After the fire, both Walmart and Sears as well as other companies claimed that "they did not know that Tazreen Fashions was making their clothing." However, the New York Times also presented documents that were found at the factory with proof of American buyers, Walmart and Sam's Club.The fire killed 112 people. Bangladesh is home to nearly 4500 garment factories. The government has now started inspections and has already "found fire code violations in almost a third of the hundreds it has examined." It is important to know where the products we buy come from and the conditions under which the items are produced. Why would the United States support poor labor practices with insufficient wages and safety measures?  Should our only concern be to buy the cheapest? Because of the demand we often create, we indirectly exploit workers around the world, who earn wages that may not even be enough to support their family.