What do you think?
We Stand As One: The International Ladies Garment Workers Strike, New York, 1909
"Girls, from the bottom of my heart, I beg you not to go back to work. We are all poor, many of us are suffering hunger, none of us can afford to lose a day's wages. But only by fighting for our rights, and fighting all together, can we better our miseries; and so let us fight for them to the end!"―Nineteen-year-old shirtwaist striker, November 1909
In 1909, on the Lower East Side of New York, thousands of immigrant women―many only teenagers―toiled at shirtwaist factories. For up to twelve hours a day, seven days a week, they hunched over sewing machines, making women's blouses. The work was tedious, the pay was low, and the factories were unsafe. Women who dared complain usually were fired.
But on November 23, 1909, twenty-thousand shirtwaist workers from five hundred factories walked off the job. Members of the International Ladies Garment Workers Union, they vowed to strike until factory owners met their demands. They wanted a fifty-two-hour workweek, fair wages, and a guarantee that factories would hire only union workers.
Police harassed and arrested the picketers. But they endured for almost three months, and factory owners finally met many of their demands.
In this captivating story of grit and determination, we'll explore how the strike became a rallying point for both women and men in the labor movement. We'll also see how the shirtwaist strike dovetailed with the fight for women's suffrage―the right to vote―and for other civil rights reforms.
In 1909, on the Lower East Side of New York, thousands of immigrant women―many only teenagers―toiled at shirtwaist factories. For up to twelve hours a day, seven days a week, they hunched over sewing machines, making women's blouses. The work was tedious, the pay was low, and the factories were unsafe. Women who dared complain usually were fired.
But on November 23, 1909, twenty-thousand shirtwaist workers from five hundred factories walked off the job. Members of the International Ladies Garment Workers Union, they vowed to strike until factory owners met their demands. They wanted a fifty-two-hour workweek, fair wages, and a guarantee that factories would hire only union workers.
Police harassed and arrested the picketers. But they endured for almost three months, and factory owners finally met many of their demands.
In this captivating story of grit and determination, we'll explore how the strike became a rallying point for both women and men in the labor movement. We'll also see how the shirtwaist strike dovetailed with the fight for women's suffrage―the right to vote―and for other civil rights reforms.
- GenresNonfiction
160 pages, Library Binding
First published October 1, 2010
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 13, 2019
A really fantastic presentation of the Uprising of the 20,000 for young people. The book does an excellent job giving context for the strike, and including photographs and sidebars that help ground the information. Lots of primary source quotes are included, though I wish the citations had been more clearly marked. A perfect first introduction for anyone, adult or young person, interested in this historic strike.
November 12, 2011
This book covers the beginning of the large strike and the dangers that led to the strike in the first place. The fire is touched on in the last chapter, detailing the facts and the results. The writing is superb and well organized. The great writing creates a vivid and tension-filled account of an important time in U.S. history. The photographs really add to the presentation. There are quotes from individuals involved in the strike. Generally the quotes and experiences shared come from the better educated and wealthy individuals who got involved, which makes sense since they were better educated and more likely to be interviewed in the newspapers. A great resource on the power of unity and women and an important time in U.S. history that still resonates today.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews