On April 11, 1911 the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union (ILGWU), some journalists, and the public organized a strike to advocate for legal protection not just in ladies’ garment work, but in all factories.

The ILGWU and many others also organized a procession to mourn and bury the seven still unidentified victims but city leaders feared that it would lead to violence so they never released the body to the organization and the public. However, the procession continued without the bodies as about 150,000 people marched and another 250,000 lined the streets to mourn. To many onlookers’ surprise, the strike was far from violent. No one shouted, chanted, or singed, they simply marched.

After the 1911 strike, The ILGWU continued to fight for justice. From 1911 and 1915, the Factory Investigation Commission (FIC) gathered enough information about the health and safety of New York workers to enact a remarkable slate of regulations dealing with fire safety, sanitation, dangerous trades, labor laws, and the protection of women and children.

Between 1915 and 1929, multiple factory health and safety statutes were generated. Among the many new regulations, owners were required to install automatic sprinklers in high-risk buildings, unlock and mark exit doors, perform fire drills, and install outward-swinging door hinges (Greenwald).