There was a very famous, unfortunate incident involving a fire that took place at a factory. This fire occurred at a time when workers had few if any rights. As I mentioned in the lecture this week, we have always had an antagonistic relationship with employers. We want employee rights, benefits, fair wages and they want millions and billions of dollars in profits. I want you to look at the video to understand the foundation of all employment laws that exist today to protect workers. Without appropriate laws, employees and their families would suffer. At one point in our employment history, an employer could shoot an employee for trying to unionize and nothing would be done about it. Thus, again we have labor laws born out of these horrific situations. So we owe a lot of gratitude to those who have paved the way for us. In the Triangle Shirt Factory fire, rumor has it that the owners set the fire and soon collected the insurance proceeds, after so many young workers jumped to their death. Also, one of the doors that the women could have escaped to safety was locked with chains. Although we have laws to protect employees, some employers still break those laws in order to make a profit. Do you remember the night club incident where a fire was started and the back door was chained and locked? A lot of people loss their lives that night that could have been prevented. 

1-Do you think that employers should be charged with attempted murder or murder when they violate the labor laws and someone gets seriously injured or dies? If there are no consequences, employers continue to violate the laws and put innocent lives at risk. 

2-What do you think should be the consequences of putting your employees and the public at risk of harm or death just to make a profit?

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