Labor History Landmark: No. 4 The International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union Headquarters

March 21, 2011

The Top 11 Labor History Landmarks in New York City is a blog series on Jewesses with Attitude created in honor of Women's History Month and the 100th anniversary of the Triangle Waist Factory fire.

International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union Headquarters, New York City

11 Waverly Place, where the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union Headquarters was located during the time of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire.

The 4th of the Top 11 Labor History Landmarks in New York City is the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union Headquarters.

The International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union (ILGWU) was founded in 1900 and had its offices at 11 Waverly Place at the time of the Triangle fire. The union’s male leadership had little interest in organizing the women workers who dominated the garment industry. However, after the 1909 strike known as the “Uprising of the 20,000,” leaders of the ILGWU reluctantly supported the strike, which marked a major change in the status of women in the labor movement.

Learn more about the ILGWU offices and see them "On the Map"

About the online walking tour:

Learn about the events surrounding the Triangle fire with an online tour or, if you are in Manhattan, print out these pages and go for an invigorating walk. You can use a "Google Maps Tour" to organize your tour according to the sequence of events, easiest walking, or "most complete" route. If you want to listen to an audio version of the tour on your computer or cell phone, sign up for a free Travelgoat account and download the Triangle walking tour.