H eadlines
Women’s History Month: Remembering the
Philadelphia Shirtwaist Strike of 1909
L OCA L
SOPHIE PANZER | JE STAFF
THOUSANDS OF JEWISH
women in Philadelphia walked
out of their jobs in 1909 to
protest unsafe working condi-
tions and exploitation.

Their strike, which became
known as the Philadelphia
Shirtwaist Strike,
drew national attention to the
dangers workers faced in a
rapidly industrializing society.

The strike derived its name
from the shirtwaist, a style of
blouse designed to resemble a
men’s shirt that was popular
in the early 20th century. They
were mainly sewn by young
women and children, many
of whom were immigrants, in
sweatshops and factories.

“It’s hard to overstate how
terrible the conditions were
in the factory,” said Rebecca
Davis, professor of history at
the University of Delaware.

“We have to remember that
this is taking place before any
of the labor legislation that we
all take for granted.”
Fire escapes were locked
due to fears of workers stealing
fabric. Days could be as long
as 14 hours, and the work
week was six days long. There
were few sanitary facilities
for when workers needed to
relieve themselves. Spaces were
crowded and hot in the summer
and freezing in the winter.

Children as young as 10 worked
alongside young women in their
teens and early 20s.

An anonymous edito-
rial published in the Jewish
Exponent detailed the exploita-
tion workers experienced in
Philadelphia’s garment facto-
ries, including the owners’ lack
of liability for unsafe working
conditions and low wages that
were often paid late.

“The average salary of the
most skilled operator is not
more than $6 a week when it
is considered that sometimes
for three months at a time
there is no work to be had,”
the contributor wrote. “If she
wants to leave the shop for a
time she is refused permission.

She makes a dollar perhaps
after waiting all day; or fifty
cents. The price paid these girls
is pitiful.”
Workers were also expected
to buy their own sewing equip-
ment and many were sexually
harassed and assaulted by male
managers. The strike began on Dec. 20,
1909, when garment workers
in Philadelphia realized
a recent influx of work was
due to factory owners in
New York City outsourcing
manufacturing in response to
a shirtwaist strike there. This
protest would later become
known as the Uprising of the
20,000 after the number of
workers who participated.

Workers in Philadelphia
decided to strike after repre-
sentatives from New York
encouraged them to join the
cause, according to Julianne
Kornacki, author of “Revealing
Division: The Philadelphia
Shirtwaist Strike, the Jewish
Community, and Republican
Machine Politics, 1909–1910.”
They demanded an increase
in wages, regular and consis-
tent payment, a 50-hour work
week, sanitary working condi-
tions, union recognition and
free work materials like needles
and thread. They also issued an
informal demand for freedom
from workplace harassment.

Approximately 85% percent
of the 7,000 shirtwaist strikers
were Jewish women and girls
who had immigrated from
Russia. Davis said they were
encouraged to work outside the
A group of shirtwaist strikers volunteer for picket duty.

Photo courtesy of the Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and Archives at
Cornell University Library is licensed under Creative Commons license CC-BY-2.0.

Name: Masonic Village
Width: 5.5 in
Depth: 5.5 in
Color: Black plus one
Comment: JE
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