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March 2021
Inside the Worst New York City Fire You’ve Never Heard Of 110 Years Ago, This Disaster Made Workers’ Comp Cases Possible
Hello From O'Connor Law PLLC
The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire was a terrible tragedy, but it brought awareness to the unsafe conditions workers were stuck in and helped advocates pass laws and regulations to protect them. If those 145 workers hadn’t died, thousands more could have lost their jobs and lives. They gave us the workers’ compensation system we have today.
As a workers’ compensation attorney and a woman entrepreneur, March is a month that’s close to my heart for several reasons. First of all, it’s Women’s History Month and home to International Women’s Day (March 8). It also marks the anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire , which happened right here in New York City on March 25, 1911, and gave us the woman behind FDR’s new deal: Francis Perkins. Most people have never heard of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire or Francis Perkins, but I think everyone should know about both. First, let’s dive into the fire. It was one of the deadliest industrial disasters in U.S. history, and it’s also the reason workers’ compensation exists in our state. Let me set the scene. It’s March 25, 1911, and 600 garment workers are finishing their shifts pinning and sewing fabric on the 8th, 9th, and 10th floors of the Asch Building in Manhattan. Most of these workers are women and teenage girls, and many of them are immigrants. They’re chatting and laughing, getting ready to head home to their families after working for hours in a sweatshop. They have no idea that just a few days before, New York state had denied legislation that would have compensated injured workers. In 100 years when attorneys look back on it, this will be deeply and tragically ironic. Just before 4:45 p.m., a box of clothing scraps under one of the factory’s cutting tables catches fire. The Triangle Shirtwaist Company workers try to put out the flames with water from nearby barrels, but the supply quickly runs out and the fire spreads. The wooden tables and chairs, oil-covered floors, and sewing machines go up like matchsticks. Seamstresses flee down the fire escape until it collapses from the strain, trapping everyone else inside. Whenever I think about this, I can practically hear the screams of the workers as they pound on the factory doors. Those doors were locked from the outside because their bosses didn’t want them sneaking off to take breaks on their shifts — a move that was perfectly legal because of the terrible labor laws of the time. When the flames were finally put out, 145 workers were dead.
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How We Can Help
One person who specifically paved the way after the fire was Francis Perkins. Perkins was a workers- rights advocate. From 1910–12, she lobbied for improved wages and working conditions as the executive secretary of the Consumers’ League of New York. Then, she continued the fight at the New York Committee for Safety, the New York Council of Organization for War Service, and New York’s (state) Industrial Commission. In 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed her as secretary of labor, and she became the first woman to serve in a president’s Cabinet. Because of Francis Perkins, we have a minimum wage, a 40-hour workweek, Social Security, the Fair Labor Standards Art, and unemployment benefits. She was basically the architect of the New Deal, working in FDR’s shadow. Everything she did in the 1920s, ‘30s, and ‘40s shapes my work today, and she deserves more recognition as a person who was truly ahead of her time. The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire and Francis Perkins are both unappreciated today, but some institutions remember them. Here in New York, there’s a Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire Memorial Scholarship for students whose parent or parents were disabled because of an accident at work. To learn more about the scholarship and get an application, reach out to my team at News@NYWorkersLaw.com .
O'Connor Law PLLC focuses on personal injury, Social Security disability, and workers' compensation cases. Our lawyers are licensed in New York.
Call (914) 595-4502 for more information.
What Others Are Saying
“I can’t say enough about this law firm. I am beyond grateful and thankful to the entire staff for their loyalty, understanding, commitment, and strength. The law firm is filled with some of the most caring, competent, and determined lawyers. I would not have won this case without this awesome team by my side. I am thankful beyond measure for Mary Ellen and the entire staff at the law firm.”
–Mary Ellen O’Connor
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Will You Read With Us? 5 NEW BOOKS TO CHECK OUT, AND A WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH READATHON
kick your bad habits, and form new ones, this book is for you. In it, Clear explains how small changes can make a big difference in our lives and set us up for success. ‘Bear Town’ by Fredrik Backman This book follows a small-town hockey team, but it’s more about the community than sports. We won’t give too much away, but it’s fascinating to see how the characters deal with a controversial event that could change their town forever. ‘The Paris Architect’ by Charles Belfoure This is a compelling story about an architect living in Paris during World War II who designs hiding places for Jewish people fleeing the city. At first, the architect is motivated by financial gain, but as the story unfolds, he has a change of heart. ‘Just Mercy’ by Bryan Stevenson Even if you’ve seen the “Just Mercy’’ movie, you should still pick up the book. By talking about his experiences defending juveniles and people on death row, Stevenson reveals the racism in our prisons and legal system. This is a must-read for anyone with a connection to the court system, lawyers, or police — including you!
A few days ago, our team discovered a lucky coincidence: Read Across America Day and Women’s History Month both fall in March! To celebrate, the women in our office are taking turns sharing books by women authors all month. We’ll pick a different book every Saturday and post about it on our Instagram. Follow @OCLawNY to find your next big read! In the meantime, if you want to get yourself in the reading mood, check out these five books recommended by O’Connor Law founder, Mary Ellen. Only one of them is by a woman author, but they’re all worth your time.
‘The Great Alone’ by Hannah Kristin This sad but beautiful book is set in Alaska and explores the impact that PTSD has on a Vietnam veteran and his family. It’s a great reminder that as a society, we need to find better ways to support our military and their loved ones.
‘Atomic Habits’ by James Clear If you want to learn how to be more productive,
3 Ways to Help Your Legal Case Move Faster (And 3 Ways to Mess It Up)
Every legal case proceeds at its own pace. The Myra Clark Gaines litigation — a fight over an inheritance that began in 1834 — famously lasted 55 years. Even simple car accident cases often take more than a year to resolve. Frustration during the legal process is normal, but if you’re feeling it, there are a few things you can do to help your lawyers move things along: • Respond to communication quickly. • Share all of the details about your case. • Keep your emotions in check. This might seem like common sense, but you’d be surprised by how quickly ignoring these three items can send your case off the rails. Be Quick to Click When your attorney emails or calls you, it’s vital to answer as soon as you can. Some steps of the legal process are time-
to continue prodding you for information, and it could also save your case! Your lawyer won’t be able to defend you well unless they have all of the relevant information. Plus, if opposing counsel discovers something you’ve been hiding, your case may fall apart. Tamp Down Your Temper Court cases can get emotional, especially if something like child custody is at stake. Even so, if you have to appear in court it’s vital you keep your emotions in check and listen to your attorney’s advice about what to say and do. If you lose your temper or disrupt the court process, the judge could hold you in contempt of court — potentially triggering a fine or even jail time. This will certainly derail your case’s timeline. For proof, consider a defendant in a burglary case, Manson Bryant, who was sentenced to 22 years in prison. When he heard the verdict, Bryant started shouting at the judge — who added six more years to his sentence on the spot.
sensitive, and if you ignore your attorney or wait hours or days before responding to them, you could miss a crucial window. Your lawyer might even walk away from your case, like the attorney in the 2002 Garden v. Garden case who withdrew when his client stopped responding. That said, it’s vital not to overcommunicate with your lawyer either. Always respond when they reach out, but don’t flood their inbox with emails or load their voicemail with messages. Clogging their information channels will just slow down their work, and it might end up costing you. Your attorney’s billable hours may include time taken to respond to emails.
Don’t Hide the Details Some facts of your case could be
embarrassing or hard to talk about, but the best way to keep things moving is to share everything with your lawyer upfront. This will save time because your lawyer won’t have
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TAKE A BREAK
A LITTLE DISTRACTION
THIS ONE SMALL THING IS KILLING YOUR PRODUCTIVITY
Distractions in your workplace destroy your productivity, regardless of where you actually work. But here’s the kicker: Some distractions don’t always register as distractions because they’re often minor, like a knock at the door or a conversation you can hear from two cubicles over. However, even when a distraction doesn’t feel like a distraction, it still kills your productivity. But one distraction in particular can absolutely ruin productivity. It isn’t as obvious as an unexpected phone call or a meeting that could have been an email. It’s a small, normal part of our everyday lives: the notification. We get notifications on our phones, tablets, laptops, desktops, and even our smartwatches. Notifications are everywhere, and we’re conditioned to accept them. Take email, for example. You’re likely in the habit of checking email periodically — or whenever you get a notification. It can feel natural to quickly check your email and then get back to what you were doing. Except that never happens. When an email, text, or other random notification distracts you, it completely diverts attention away from what you were doing. If it’s spam, you may delete the email. Or, if you need to respond, it might take a few minutes or more. You may spend anywhere between 20 seconds to 20 minutes on any given email. However, this isn’t where time is lost. If you’re responding to a customer email, for instance, that is part of your productivity. The time is lost when you attempt to get back to what you were doing before checking your notifications.
ASPARAGUS AND SMOKED MOZZARELLA PIZZETTES
Inspired by EatingWell.com
Ingredients
• 1 cup shredded smoked mozzarella cheese • 1/3 cup scallions, thinly sliced • 2 tbsp walnuts, toasted and chopped • 1 sprig of fresh mint leaves, torn • Zest of 1 orange
• 1 lb prepared whole-wheat pizza dough, divided into 6 equal portions • 12 oz asparagus spears, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces • 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil • 1/4 tsp salt
A University of California, Irvine study found that it takes an average of 23
minutes to get back to your task after every distraction, not just email. Over the course
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 500 F and ensure there are two racks in your oven. 2. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper, stretch each piece of dough into a 7-by-3-inch oval and arrange evenly on the pan. 3. On a second baking sheet, toss asparagus with oil and 1/4 tsp salt. 4. Place dough on top rack and asparagus on bottom and bake for 3 minutes. 5. Remove both trays from the oven, sprinkle cheese over the dough, then top with asparagus and scallions. 6. Return pizzettes to oven and bake until the crusts’ edges are golden, about 8–10 minutes. 7. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with walnuts, mint, and orange zest before serving.
of a day, that adds up to a significant amount of wasted time.
How do you overcome this? Your best bet is to turn off notifications. Most devices let you customize your notifications so you can turn them off during working hours. Here’s another quick tip: Set aside time during the day to check emails, texts, and other messages. You will significantly reduce the amount of time spent trying to refocus on the important tasks at hand.
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PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
Discuss a Legal Topic of Your Choice With Mary Ellen! Normally, the team at the O’Connor Law firm ventures into the community to present in-person seminars on topics that are affecting our clients. We would be happy to present a Zoom conference on a topic of your choice. Please feel free to reach out to us at News@NYWorkersLaw.com with any suggestions.
(914) 595-4502 www.nyworkerslaw.com 7 Woodland Ave. Larchmont, NY 10538 INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Inside the Worst New York City Fire You’ve Never Heard Of
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Join Our Women’s History Month Readathon! 3 Ways to Help Your Legal Case Move Faster
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Asparagus & Smoked Mozzarella Pizzettes Don’t Let This Distraction Destroy Your Productivity
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‘Jersey Shore’ Stars Battle a New York Restaurant Over Meatball Merch
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The Meatball Shop Sued Snooki! (And Another ‘Jersey Shore’ Star, Too)
actual meatballs. According to Page Six, the New York City-based restaurant The
Reality TV stars Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi and Deena Cortese are gearing up for a court battle. But this isn’t a showdown with another celebrity: It’s a fight to the death over merchandise with ... a New York City-based meatball restaurant! This case sounds laughable, but there’s some real “meat” to dig into. The controversy started when the celebrity duo — known as “The Meatballs” since their time together on “Jersey Shore” — launched a clothing brand/online store called The Meatball Shop late last year. The brand sells meatball-themed T-shirts, sweatshirts, and hats with slogans like “Team Meatball Forever” and “Meatball Squad.” Over the holidays, they even offered a sweater with a checklist reading, “Pour wine, wrap gifts, decorate, be a meatball.” All of this merchandise plays off the pair’s “Jersey Shore” nickname, which Polizzi and Cortese earned because, as Food & Wine puts it, “The party girls are both very tan, curvy, and short.”
Meatball Shop sued Polizzi and Cortese in December of 2020, claiming their clothing infringes on its trademark. As of writing this, a judge is considering The Meatball Shop’s request to shut Polizzi and Cortese’s operation down. To add even more meat to the argument, it was the owners of The Meatball Shop restaurant (Daniel Holzman and Michael Chernow) who first taught Polizzi and Cortese to make edible meatballs in 2017. The lesson was documented in a photo shoot with “In Touch.” Does it get more ironic than that? If you want to keep up with the drama, check PageSix.com, and if this article made you crave meatballs, don’t worry — we’ve got you covered. Visit Epicurious.com and search “classic beef meatballs’’ for a recipe that will knock your socks off.
Even with this claim to the moniker, the legality of the celebrities’ clothing line has some competition from, well, places that sell
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