Dive Summary:

• Over 70 major retail brands worldwide have partnered with several trade unions and many other retail groups to announce a landmark agreement on fire and building safety standards in Bangladesh.
•  “A profound change is possible only with a strong coalition between trade unions, international brands and retailers, Bangladeshi authorities and employers, and with worker involvement in the workplace with guaranteed freedom of association.”
• Several major U.S. brands have yet to join the accord and are currently facing widespread international backlash over the decision. Several of the retailers who have passed on joining the accord have created their own private Bangladesh safety fund valued at roughly $50 million.

From the article:

“Walmart, Gap, and many other US retailers have refused to sign because they do not want an enforceable agreement with Bangladeshi unions. They prefer to make only unilateral unenforceable commitments without accountability to workers.”