Rose Schneiderman ( April 6 , 1882 &ndash; August 11 , 1972 ) was a Polish-born American socialist and feminist , and one of the most prominent female labor union leaders . As a member of the New York Women 's Trade Union League , she drew attention to unsafe workplace conditions , following the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire of 1911 , and as a suffragist she helped to pass the New York state referendum of 1917 that gave women the right to vote . Schneiderman was also a founding member of the American Civil Liberties Union and served on the National Recovery Administration 's Labor Advisory Board under President Franklin D. Roosevelt . She is credited with coining the phrase " Bread and Roses , " to indicate a worker 's right to something higher than subsistence living
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire
Rose Schneiderman