Suffrage, labor rights, and the ERA are all related because without women’s suffrage and their labor rights being neglected throughout history, the idea of an equal rights amendment would not exist today. Although it shouldn’t take people’s sufferings to demand change or enact laws, many times, this is what it takes. In 1911, The Triangle Shirt Factory, one of the deadliest fires in New York City to take ensue in a workplace, left 146 young women dead due to the lack of protection they had in their work environment. Besides the grueling hours these women spent day in and day out, they received little to nothing in return. One could only hope that the least these women could get in return was a decent environment, and union, to make it worth their while. But unfortunately, this was not the case then, and it is still not the case now. Yes, accidents happen, but a fire like the one that occurred at the factory could have been completely prevented. After people had heard about the horrifying conditions, they took to the streets of NYC to protest for rights that they shouldn’t have to fight for, but in the end, redefined this country’s industrial workplace.
Labor rights are also issues of gender justice because women, to this day, continue to fight against discrimination and fight for equal pay, maternity leave, and protection against violence in their work environment. For women to continue to fight for equality in 2022 is completely and utterly disrespectful given all the work and suffering that women in our past have dealt with and fought for to have a better present day. It’s critical to recognize the ERA’s central message: Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex. Unfortunately, the historical issues that we learned about, like the tragedy that transpired at the Triangle Shirt Factory, continue to persist in today’s society. In a similar situation, as seen in the video Triangle Returns, we continue to see young women in Bangladesh suffer in unspeakable conditions. They earn little to nothing while working unlawful hours in a treacherous environment. To this day, young women, teenagers really, continue to be stripped of their rights with no right to organize. History, as we know, tends to repeat itself, and if we don’t act now, it will continue to be too late for millions of young women out there.