Remember the Triangle Fire Coalition

WE ARE ONE: The 1982 Chinatown Garment Strike, Thirty Years Later

Rose — Tue, 15 May 2012 17:58:59 +0000

WE ARE ONE:
The 1982 Chinatown Garment Strike, Thirty Years Later
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Museum of Chinese in the Americas, 215 Centre Street, New York (www.mocanyc.org)

3:00 to 5:00 PM Conducted in Cantonese Chinese
5:00 to 6:00 PM Reception
6:00 to 8:00 PM Conducted in English

Program:
3:00-5:00 PM (in Cantonese Chinese)
• Film clip from the “Digital Quilt,” by Nancy Tong
• Speakers:
–Betty Leung, Local 23-25 Chinese Communications Director (retired)
–Shui Mak Ka, Local 23-25 Education Department staff (retired)
–Wai Chee Tang, Local 23-25 Executive Board Chairperson (retired)
–Katie Quan, Associate Chair, UC Berkeley Center for Labor Research and Education
–Po Ling Ng, Executive Director, Project Open Door

5:00-6:00 PM Reception

6:00-8:00 PM (in English)
• Film clip from the “Digital Quilt,” by Nancy Tong
• Speakers:
–June Jee, MoCA Trustee and daughter of Local 23-25 retiree
–Katie Quan, Associate Chair, UC Berkeley Center for Labor Research and Education
–Wai Chee Tang, Local 23-25 Executive Board Chairperson (retired)
–Ed Vargas, Workers United Assistant to the President (retired)
–Rose Imperato, Coordinator, Remember the Triangle Fire Coalition

Background:
After 1965, the NYC garment industry experienced a tremendous expansion of production capacity with the influx of workers and entrepreneurs from Hong Kong and China. By 1982, there were hundreds of garment factories employing tens of thousands of workers, mostly immigrant women, in and around Canal Street in Chinatown. These workers were organized by the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union, enjoying benefits shared with unionized garment workers all over the region. In the early summer of 1982, with union contract negotiations blocked by a small group of Chinatown employers, the union (Local 23-25, now affiliated with Workers United/SEIU) mobilized workers to support the union contract. Two massive rallies were held in Columbus Park on June 24 and 29, bringing negotiations to a successful conclusion. Following the historic strike, Chinese immigrant workers became new leaders and activists in the union, and also promoted important grassroots activities in the community – for day care centers and senior centers, against the building of the jail in Chinatown, for broader voter registration and political activism. The 1982 strike transformed the image and activism of Chinese immigrant women workers and wrote a new page of community and labor history. Although the garment industry and union have changed, the spirit of these worker activists continues today.

More information at http://www.mocanyc.org/

Walking Tour: Italian Greenwich Village

Rose — Fri, 11 May 2012 16:03:41 +0000

Joyce Gold Tours Presents: Italian Greenwich Village

Sunday, May 27 at 1 PM

Italian priests, saints, shop-owners, politicians, and mobsters all contributed to the scene south of Washington Square.

MEET: Washington Sq. Arch, Fifth Ave. 1 block south of 8th St.

More information at http://www.joycegoldhistorytours.com/tour-schedule.html

The Triangle Factory Fire: Then, Since, Now — Works by FIT Graduate Students

Rose — Thu, 10 May 2012 19:40:22 +0000

FIT’s MFA in Illustration program, in collaboration with the American History Department and the Remember the Triangle Fire Coalition, present Triangle Factory Fire: Then, Since, Now. This exhibition presents the work of 25 artists, with each piece presenting a visual interpretation of the fire, its impact, and its aftermath. Works include paintings, drawings, collage, sculpture and interactive media. More information at http://fitnyc.edu/3662.asp

image by Jennifer Merz

4th Annual Hudson River Pageant

Rose — Sat, 05 May 2012 03:30:06 +0000

Earth Celebrations 4th Annual
Hudson River Pageant
Saturday, May 12th, 2012 1-5 PM
Downtown Section of the Hudson River Park
New York City

An ecological parade and performance art event with spectacular costumes and giant puppets to restore the Hudson River and address climate change.

More info at http://www.earthcelebrations.com/

Film Screening of HBO’s Triangle:Remembering the Fire — Panel discussion to follow the screening

Rose — Wed, 02 May 2012 21:41:21 +0000

Procession in memory of victims of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire

TRIANGLE: REMEMBERING THE FIRE
An HBO Documentary

WHEN: Sunday, May 6th at 12:45 pm
WHERE: WORKERS UNITED FILM FESTIVAL: NYIT Auditorium, Broadway at 61st Street

A portion of the proceeds from this special screening of the HBO documentary Triangle:Remembering the Fire will be donated to the Remember the Triangle Fire Coalition!

The documentary is of one of dozens of films being shown this weekend — May 4-6 — that highlight workers and labor issues.

For more on the film festival, see http://www.workersunitefilmfestival.org/
For more on the HBO documentary, see http://www.hbo.com/documentaries/triangle-remembering-the-fire/index.html

MAY DAY 2012 — Tuesday May 1st — Bryant Park and Union Square!

Rose — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 21:00:26 +0000

MAY DAY 2012 — a/k/a International Workers’ Day — is Tuesday, May 1st.

Turn out for the big rally in Union Square in solidarity with labor unions, immigrant justice coalition, students, artists, activists, and faith & community groups. See you there! http://www.facebook.com/NYCCLC WWW.MAYDAYSOLIDARITY2012.ORG

The Remember the Triangle Fire Coalition on TV this Weekend

Rose — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 18:23:03 +0000

ITALICS
The Italian American Magazine
Hosted by Cav. Anthony J. Tamburri

WHEN:
Saturday, April 28th, 8pm
Sunday, April 29th, 10am

STATION:
CUNY-TV (Ch.75) and RCN (Ch.77) in NYC

ON THIS MONTH’S EPISODE:
*The Remember the Triangle Fire Coalition at the 101st Commemoration of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire. On Saturday, March 25, 1911, the Triangle fire occurred, killing 146 people, mostly young immigrant women, working as seamstresses at the Asch, now Brown Building, in Greenwich Village, New York. The Triangle Fire is still one of the worst industrial accidents in the history of both the City and the Nation. From its ashes, a Watershed Moment in American History arose in both legislation and regulation of worker’s rights and workplace safety. In 2008, in anticipation of the Centennial observance of the Triangle Fire, a grass roots group, the Remember The Triangle Fire Coalition, was formed. The Coalition’s original mission was to foster public awareness of the Triangle Fire, its historical importance, and the creation of a Permanent Memorial dedicated to its victims. The 2012 Centennial was such an overwhelming success, that this year, the Coalition announced both the creation of a new Open Museum, culled from its ever-growing Archive of artifacts and items donated by family members and the general public, and the continuing efforts towards the design and creation of the Permanent Memorial dedicated to the victims of the Triangle Fire.

*Also, the National Italian American Foundation’s annual East Coast Gala Dinner 2012, held in New York City at Cipriani’s on 42nd Street. Based in Washington DC, The National Italian American Foundation (NIAF) is the nation’s primary voice lobbying for issues of importance to the Italian American Community. NIAF’s East Coast Gala brought out a large turnout from the Public, with over 700 people joining in celebration of their heritage and culture with luminaries from all walks of life including; Business, Politics, Entertainment, and Academia. Those chosen by NIAF to be honored for their individual contributions and achievements this year included; Financial Journalist Maria Bartiromo, Academy Award Nominated Actor/Writer Chazz Palminteri, Arthur Certosimo, Sr. Executive V.P. at Mellon BNY, Dr. Donna Rapaccioli, Dean of The Gabelli School of Business at Fordham University, and Frank D’Amelio, Chief Financial Officer of Pfizer, Inc.

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The John D.Calandra Italian American Institute, Queens College, is a university-wide research institute of the City University of New York, dedicated to the history and culture of Italians in the United States. For more information see http://calandra.i-italy.org/

North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week 2012

Rose — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 17:47:47 +0000

What is NAOSH Week?
North American Occupational Safety and Health Week, or NAOSH Week, occurs every year during the first full week of May. NAOSH Week is intended to raise awareness about occupational safety, health and the environment. The American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) joined with the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering (CSSE) in 2002 to raise the public’s awareness of occupational safety, health and the environment in North America during NAOSH Week. This is just one tool the 100-year-old ASSE and its 32,000 occupational safety, health and environmental professional members use throughout the year to promote occupational safety aimed at preventing injuries and illnesses. Several organizations representing thousands of businesses have partnered with ASSE and CSSE to support NAOSH Week, including U.S. federal agencies such as the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to reach millions of people around the globe on the importance of being safe at work.

During NAOSH Week, ASSE and CSSE members, OSHA and NAOSH partners develop and implement activities throughout North America to promote NAOSH Week. ASSE members have held fleet safety classes, ergonomic awareness events, distributed catastrophe preparedness information, distributed free teen worker safety and preventing roadway crash brochures, developed and presented teen worker safety courses, helped Habitat for Humanity, held a personal protective equipment (PPE) fashion show, donated PPE and much more. In past years, NAOSH themes have included: mining safety; transportation safety, as transportation accidents are the number one cause of on-the-job deaths; youth workplace safety; and more.

Each year ASSE urges everyone to get involved in NAOSH Week in an effort to better educate the public about the positive benefits a safe workplace provides not only for workers, but for their families, friends, businesses, their local community and the global community. In 2009, more than 4,000 people lost their lives from on-the-job injuries and never made it home. We’d like to move that number to 0.

For information about NAOSH Week 2012 events, visit the ASSE web page at http://www.asse.org/newsroom/naosh/.

Workers Unite! Film Festival

Rose — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 14:36:09 +0000

NYC Celebrates Global Labor Solidarity!
MAY 4th, 5th & 6th, 2012

WORKERS UNITE FILM FESTIVAL

NYIT Auditorium on Broadway
1871 Broadway (at 61st – just north of Columbus Circle)

The Workers Unite Film Festival is a celebration of Global Labor Solidarity.

The Festival aims to showcase student and professional films from the United States and around the world which publicize and highlight the struggles, successes and daily lives of all workers in their efforts to unite and organize for better living conditions and social justice.

FOR FESTIVAL SCHEDULE AND MORE INFORMATION SEE

http://www.workersunitefilmfestival.org/

FILM SCREENINGS: HBO’s Schmatta – Rags to Riches to Rags

Rose — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 21:18:20 +0000

Join the New York Labor History Association for Two Screenings of

Schmatta – Rags to Riches to Rags
HBO documentary on NYC’s “rag” trade, past & present

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FIRST SCREENING: Thursday, May 3, 6–8:30 pm at F.I.T.

Screening followed by discussion with
-Filmmaker Marc Levin
-F.I.T. professor Dan Levinson Wilk
-Immigrant rights activist May Chen
-Workers United Sec’y-Treas. Edgar Romney
-Workers United Local 10 leader Joe Raico.

FREE!

WHERE: Fashion Institute of Technology, “A” Bldg. cafeteria, West 27 St. just east of 8th Av., NYC.

Co-sponsored by United College Employees of F.I.T., Educators Chapter of the Jewish Labor Committee; Gotham Center (CUNY), & the Frances Perkins Forum (Adelphi).

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SECOND SCREENING: Thursday May 17th 6 – 9pm at NYU

Screening followed by discussion with
-Filmmaker Marc Levin
-Labor historian Robert Parmet (York College/CUNY)
-Workers United Local 10 leader Joe Raico