There was a massive power disparity between factory owners and employees. Factory owners set the rules and could fire an employee at any time. Employees attempted to gain power by forming trade unions, which would participate in collective bargaining, or negotiations on behalf of all member employees. Unions began to form in the United States in the late 1860s in industries such as steel, coal, and railroads. The garment industry proved more difficult to unionize because of the sweatshop system, which involved small, scattered shops. In addition to this, most garment workers were women, and the men at the American Federation of Labor (AFL) did not see them as equals, arguing that “they lacked men’s ‘drive’ and ‘fighting spirit’” (76). The new-model factory, however, made garment industry unions possible because it gathered so many women workers in one place.

In 1900, the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union (ILGWU) was formed, but it had few members, little power, and only four dollars in its coffers. In September 1909, the Shirtwaist Union, Local 25, voted to strike against Triangle for increased wages and shorter hours. Factory owners rallied together and resolved to break the strike.