In February 1910, the NWTUL settled with the factory owners, gaining improved wages, working conditions, and hours.

The end of the strike was followed only a year later by the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, which exposed the plight of immigrant women working in dangerous and difficult conditions.

Production in the garment-making capital of New York City during the first decade of the century was split between 600 shops and factories, employing 30,000 workers and producing an estimated $50 million worth of merchandise annually.

[2] These so-called "learners" often earned no more than $3 or $4 a day—a small fraction of the typical wages of $7 to $12 made by semi-skilled "operators," who were generally male.

Despite their meager wages, workers were often required to supply their own basic materials, including needles, thread, and sewing machines.

[4] The industry was dominated by immigrant workers, including prominently Yiddish-speaking Jews, about half of the total, and Italians, who comprised another one-third.

[5] On November 22, 1909,[5] a meeting was arranged at the Great Hall[6] of Cooper Union, where Local 25 voted for a general strike.

[6] At the meeting, Lemlich had been listening to men speak about the disadvantages and cautions about the shirtwaist workers going on a general strike.

By 1909, when the shirtwaist strike had broken out, the "mink brigade" was able to connect with the strikers through the Women’s Trade Union League (WTUL).

[9] However, Blanck and Harris refused to make an agreement with the union, and they did not address key safety concerns, such as locked doors and condemned fire escapes in the work place.

[10] The successful strike marked an important benchmark for the American labour movement, and especially for garment industry unions.

[7] The strike inspired Clara Zetkin to propose an International Women's Day,[6] which was first celebrated by the Socialist Party of America in 1909.