Statements and Press Releases

  • November 7, 2008 – The Fair Labor Association commissions independent investigation to determine facts surrounding the pending closure of Jerzees de Honduras in 2009. The Russell Corporation announced October 8, 2008 its decision to close the factory because of economic conditions. Since then allegations that the factory closing may be in violation of freedom of association have surfaced. The FLA is taking several steps to uncover the facts and to ensure that workers’ rights are being respected. View the FLA’s statement. 
     

  • October 8, 2008 – The Fair Labor Association upholds freedom of association in a statement regarding an independent report on factory closings in Sri Lanka.Three factories of the Jaqalanka Group shuttered their doors in the first quarter of 2008. The FLA commissioned T-Group Solutions, an independent monitor in South Asia, to investigate the causes of the closures. Key findings of the report indicate that the factory closings were the result of economic and financial challenges, and not the result of any union activities. To read the statement, click here.

  • September 19, 2008 -- The Fair Labor Association publishes independent audit reports and corrective action plan relating to Mainland Headwear. In June 2007, PlayFair 2008, a campaign organized by the Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC), the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), and the International Textile, Garment and Leather Worker’s Federation (ITGLWF) and supported by a diverse coalition of trade unions, non-governmental organizations, and labor groups, issued a report on working conditions involved in the production of Olympic logo-bearing goods for the 2008 Beijing Olympics (link to report: http://www.playfair2008.org/docs/playfair_2008-report.pdf). The report focused on several factories that were producing licensed products for the Beijing games and identified labor law violations in those factories, including child labor, excessive hours of work, failure to pay minimum wage, safety and health violations, and fire hazards. One of the factories cited in the report was Mainland Headwear, a supplier to FLA Participating Companies and university licensees. In an update published by the campaign in April 2008, PlayFair 2008 indicated that Mainland Headwear management team had acknowledged violations at its factory and a willingness to remedy them (link to report update: http://www.playfair2008.org/docs/Prodction_of_Olympics_sponsored_goods.pdf)


    In order to avoid multiple investigations by buyers affiliated with the FLA and duplication of remediation efforts, the FLA commissioned Level Works Limited, a monitoring and labor compliance organization accredited by the FLA to conduct independent external monitoring in China, to conduct an independent audit of the factory and make recommendations for remedial action. Mainland Headwear committed to correct violations that were identified. Level Works conducted audits at two factories operated by Mainland -- Dongguan Mainland Headwear Co. Ltd. and Top Super Sportswear (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd. -- in mid-April 2008. To read the audit report for Dongguan Mainland Headwear Co. Ltd. click here and for Top Super Sportswear (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd., click here. Olympic logo products are produced at Dongguan Mainland Headwear; products sourced by FLA-affiliated companies are produced at Top Super Sportswear (Shenzhen) Co. With technical support from the FLA, Mainland Headwear has developed and is implementing a corrective action plan that addresses the labor noncompliance issues identified in the Level Works reports. The FLA will provide oversight of the corrective action plan and arrange for an independent verification audit in the future. In addition, Mainland Headwear joined the FLA as a Participating Supplier in June 2008 and henceforth its facilities will be subject to the FLA labor compliance system.

  • July 25, 2008 -- An FLA Stakeholder Forum titled “Labor Law Reform in China: Opportunities and Challenges for Improving Workers’ Lives” was held on June 24, 2008 in Kunshan city (near Shanghai, China) at the facility of the Chenfeng Group, an FLA-affiliated Participating Supplier. The forum was held in conjunction with the FLA’s first Board meeting in Asia and was attended by over 100 participants representing local and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs), companies, and universities. They came together to produce an unprecedented day of presentations and discussion on issues related to labor law reform in China.
    • View the Stakeholder Forum Agenda here.
    • Read a summary of the Stakeholder Forum presentations and discussion here.
    • View a photo of Stakeholder Forum attendees gathered outside the Kunshan factory of the Chenfeng Group where the Stakeholder Forum was held here.
    • Speaker Presentations:
      Prof. Qiao Jian, Associate Professor and Dean, Labor Relations Department, China Industrial Relations College
      Kan Wang, On Action
      Chen Mingyu, Qingdao Xiaochen Hotline Center
      Changhee Lee, Senior Specialist on Industrial Relations and Social Dialogue, ILO Office for China and Mongolia
      Patricia Jurewicz, Associate Director-Corporate Responsibility Program, As You Sow
      William Anderson, Head of Social and Environmental Affairs (Asia Pacific), adidas Group
      Ian Spaulding, Managing Director of Infact Global Partners and Consultant to the FLA

  • July 23, 2008 -- The FLA publishes a summary report on the Third Party Complaint regarding Taiway Sports, China. Read the report here.

  • July 15, 2008 -- Fair Labor Association Board Holds First-Ever Meeting in Asia -- The FLA Board held its first-ever meeting in Asia on June 25, 2008. At the meeting, the FLA Board voted to reaccredit the labor compliance programs of two FLA Participating Companies -- Liz Claiborne, Inc. and Phillips-Van Heusen. The Board also provisionally admitted a number of new company and factory affiliates into the FLA. Read the press release here.

  • March 14, 2008 -- FLA releases independent verification report of Russell's Corrective Action Plan (CAP) for Jerzees de Choloma and Jerzees de Honduras -- Today the FLA released the report of an independent verification of the CAP developed by Russell Corporation to address noncompliances at its Jerzees de Choloma factory in Honduras. The verification was commissioned by the FLA and conducted by A & L Group Inc. (ALGI), a labor compliance firm accredited by the FLA to conduct monitoring in several countries. ALGI also conducted the independent investigation at Jerzees de Choloma in October 2007 that gave rise to the CAP.
  • February 21, 2008 -- Fair Labor Association Board Admits New Company and Factory Affiliates -- The Board of Directors of the Fair Labor Association voted at its meeting on February 13, 2008 to approve the affiliation requests of seven new companies and suppliers. The FLA also announced that it will conduct a review of its Workplace Code of Conduct during 2008. Read the press release here.

  • December 11, 2007 -- FLA issues a statement by Auret van Heerden, President, regarding freedom of speech and expression -- Today, FLA President, Auret van Heerden, issued a statement on freedom of speech and expression in support of international labor rights NGOs. Read the statement here.

  • November 30, 2007 -- FLA Releases 2007 Annual Report -- The FLA released its 2007 Annual Public Report today. The report offers a wealth of information from nearly 150 unannounced factory inspections conducted by independent auditors during 2006, as well as detailed information on the labor compliance programs of 38 affiliated companies. It also provides a look at several parts of the FLA program, including updates on special projects and the FLA’s new Enhanced Licensee program
  • August 31, 2007 -- FLA Releases Independent Monitor Report of Cimatextiles Factory in Guatemala -- The FLA today released an independent report it commissioned concerning allegations of violations of worker rights at the Cimatextiles factory in Villa Nueva, Guatemala.

  • July 25, 2007 -- FLA Elects Carol Bellamy new Board of Directors chair -- The FLA announced the election of Carol Bellamy, the President and CEO of World Learning and the former Executive Director of UNICEF and Director of the Peace Corps, as its chair of the FLA Board of Directors, effective August 1. View the press release here.

  • June 25, 2007 -- Update on the Hermosa plant closure – The FLA continues to seek a resolution to the complex issues surrounding the closing of Hermosa Manufacturing in El Salvador. We recognize that the affected workers have not been treated fairly and that their rights need to be enforced and protected. The FLA and its affiliated companies continue to press the Government of El Salvador to meet its legal obligations to workers. In addition, FLA-affiliated companies and the FLA are working to promote the reemployment of former Hermosa workers. These and other FLA activities are discussed in the FLA’s response to a recent report issued by the Maquila Solidarity Network (MSN) examining the Hermosa case. The MSN report was prepared at the request of the FLA and is available here.

  • June 19, 2007 -- Fair Labor Association Approves Accreditation of Gildan Activewear and New Era Cap Labor Compliance Programs -- The Board of Directors of the FLA voted to bestow its most advanced recognition of a company's labor compliance program on two Participating Companies, Gildan Activewear, the Canadian apparel company, and New Era Cap, the Buffalo-based maker of sports headwear. The action represents the first time that brands that are also manufacturers -- factory owners themselves rather than simply companies who contract with foreign factories -- have been accredited for the compliance programs they developed. View the press release here.

  • June 12, 2007 -- FLA Holds Stakeholder Forum in the Dominican Republic -- In conjunction with its recent board of Directors meeting in the Dominican Republic, the FLA held a stakeholders' meeting to address the challenges facing the apparel industry in that region of the world. The daylong session, entitled "After the MFA: Challenges in Promoting and Protecting Worker Rights in a Changing Market Environment," drew representatives from a number of different organizational backgrounds, including trade unions, non-governmental organizations, government agencies, suppliers, and brands working in Central America and the Dominican Republic. The afternoon session focused on the current situation of the Dominican apparel sector, including potential actions that could be taken to assist the industry in adjusting to a changing market environment. It also included the presentation of a Report and Recommendation from a Mission charged by the FLA to look into the subject.
    • Agenda for the stakeholders' meeting (English)
    • Agenda for the stakeholders' meeting (Spanish)
    • Summary of the stakeholders' meeting.
    • Report of the FLA Mission: "The Apparel Industry in the Dominican Republic After the MFA" (English)
    • Report of the FLA Mission: "The Apparel Industry in the Dominican Republic After the MFA" (Spanish).

  • June 1, 2007 -- FLA Applauds BJ&B Settlement -- The FLA commended the union and management at the BJ&B factory for using the collective bargaining process to reach a just settlement.
  • May 23, 2007 -- FLA Begins Investigation of Guatemalan factory.
    The FLA today announced that it had retained an independent expert to conduct an investigation into allegations of worker mistreatment at the Cimatextiles factory in Villa Nueva, Guatemala. Read the press release here.

  • May 19, 2007 -- FLA-WRC Issue Joint Statement on BJ&B Factory Severance Agreement -- Following a meeting in Santo Domingo convened by the International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers Federation and attended by the FLA and WRC, as well as other groups, the FLA and WRC issued a joint statement, which included recommendations on the severance package for the former BJ&B workers.

  • April 2, 2007 -- The FLA released a report examining the legal facts surrounding the closure of the BJ & B Factory in the Dominican Republic. The report was written by Dr. Milton Ray Guevara, who served as Minister of Labor of the Dominican Republic from 2000 to 2004 and was elected President of the 92nd International Labor Conference in 2004. He has had a long career in academia, teaching constitutional and labor law at several universities in the Dominican Republic. Dr. Ray Guevara’s report makes no judgments nor reaches any conclusions about the situation. It is intended only to clarify the terms and conditions of the closure so that the situation can be addressed by concerned parties in a more informed manner.

    The FLA itself will be conducting other forms of due diligence and seeking to identify proactive remedies to protect jobs and labor standards. On study, expected by June, will focus on the economic challenges facing the apparel export industry in the Dominican Republic, circumstances that have already led to a loss of more than 50,000 jobs.

    View the report by Dr. Milton Ray Guevara.

  • February 23, 2007 -- The Board of Directors voted to accredit the labor compliance program of Puma View the press release here.

  • January 11, 2007 -- FLA appoints Alex Wohl as Director of Communications and Outreach. View the press release here.

2006

  • December 22, 2006 -- The FLA announced the creation of a Hermosa emergency fund to benefit the former workers of the Hermosa Manufacturing plant in El Salvador who have remained unemployed since last year, when the plant’s local owner unilaterally closed its doors and left the employees without any financial compensation.
    • FLA Interim Report on the third party complaint (English)
    • Emergency fund administrator's report
    • Letters from the former Hermosa workers to FLA (English and Spanish)
    • Response from FLA's President and CEO Auret van Heerden to the former Hermosa workers (English and Spanish)
  • October 26, 2006 -- The Board of Directors voted Wednesday to accredit the labor compliance program of Nordstrom and reaccredit the labor compliance program of Reebok Footwear. Read the press release here.
  • May 19, 2006 -- FLA Executive Director Rut Tufts Dies after a fall. press release and Pharis Harvey's remarks at the June 15, 2006 Board of Directors meeting. Read the
  • March 28, 2006 -- FLA Releases Statement In Response to the USAS website "FLA Watch." Read the statement here.

To view statements and press releases prior to 2006, please visit our archive.