labor rights news and archive

A new report links public funds to labour abuses in Pakistan’s textile sector

A new report from Swedwatch, the Swedish NGO focused on business, human rights and environmental responsibility, has exposed troubling failings in Europe’s procurement framework, failings that are allowing exploitative labour practices in Pakistan’s textile industry to persist, despite stated commitments to sustainability and human rights. The...

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3 fashion companies agree to compensate Mauritius garment workers following report

Three major fashion companies, including PVH, the parent company of Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein, Second Clothing, and UK-heritage brand Barbour, have agreed to pay a total of 420,593 USD in compensation to garment workers in Mauritius following the publication of an undercover investigation into labor rights abuse. Migrant garment workers at...

Retail

Second Amazon Labor Union effort fails but inspires new legislation

A second unionization effort at an Amazon sortation facility, LDJ5, on Staten Island in New York has come up short, with the independent Amazon Labor Union (ALU) receiving only 380 votes out of a possible estimated 1,600 eligible employees. The vote tallied Monday by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) means that the LDJ5 campus will not...

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Historic union win the latest twist in the New York-Amazon saga

For the first time in its nearly twenty-eight years in business, Amazon faces union negotiations over its employment practices. An independent union start-up founded by a fired employee, Chris Smalls, took on the 1.6 trillion dollar company with about 120,000 dollars in GoFundMe donations to campaign for and win a bid to unionize the JFK8...

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Retail

Why workers at an REI store voted to join a union

Workers at the New York City flagship of Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI) voted to join the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), which will now be the first union at any store for the outdoor gear retailer. The vote, which took place in-person at the SoHo location on March 2 was an overwhelming win for the union with...

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Retail

How the pandemic brought an REI store to a union vote

Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI), the Seattle-based retail chain for outdoor gear and apparel, may have their first unionized store this week as over one hundred employees at the New York City flagship are set to vote this Wednesday, March 2 on whether or not they will join the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU). The SoHo...

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70,000 consumers demand transparency from Primark, Armani & Urban Outfitters

London - 70,000 people are calling upon 5 major fashion retailers - Armani, Primark, Urban Outfitters, Forever 21 and Walmart - to go transparent by publicly sharing which factories produce their apparel. 70,000 consumers have signed a petition calling on the brands to make transparency part of their New Year's resolutions following the...