Schakowsky Statement on the 5th Anniversary of the Rana Plaza Building Collapse
Today, Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky released the following statement marking the 5th anniversary of the Rana Plaza building collapse in Bangladesh:
“Last month marked the 107th anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist fire and the death of 146 garment workers in New York City. It brought attention and some responses to the problem of dangerous sweatshops, but it failed to result in a guarantee of safe workplaces.
“A century later -- five years ago today -- the 8-story Rana Plaza building collapsed, killing 1,138 garment workers and injuring 2,500 more and making it the deadliest garment industry catastrophe in modern history. Once again, it got noticed and led to some improvements, like the Accord on Fire and Building Safety and the creation of the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety. But, once again, we have still not acted to guarantee that working women and men will be safe on the job.
“Every day in the United States and around the world, workers are killed and injured on the job. The threats go beyond dangerous buildings and toxic environments. As we know from the MeToo movement, too many women – and men – go to hostile workplaces every day, where they face sexual harassment, intimidation and assault. Enough is enough.
“All of us have a role to play if we want to make sure that every working woman and man is safe and respected on the job. Manufacturers have a responsibility to ensure that their supply chain meets the highest standards possible and that union organizing rights are respected. Consumers should shop for goods and services that meet those standards. And elected officials need to enact policies that protect workplace rights and then enforce them.
“It is time for all us to act – not to respond to future tragedies but to prevent them.”