The 2009 “Washington Agreement” between Fruit of the Loom and workers’ unions in Honduras transformed working conditions for garment workers – and remains an historic example of the power of binding agreements between brands and the workers in their supply chains.

This agreement was signed after a significant national and international campaign for workers’ rights at a Fruit of the Loom-owned factory in Honduras; the agreement between the corporation and worker representatives was to remedy violations of freedom of association. Over the subsequent years, this agreement led to an expansion of Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs) throughout the garment export sector. This report focuses on the impact of those agreements in Honduras.

Screenshot from the report “Bargaining for Decent Work and Beyond”

This report examines the impact that this historic agreement has had on workers’ ability to exercise their fundamental right to organize, as well as the difference that the union contracts won by workers have made on their wellbeing. The report also quantifies the difference between voluntary corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs and workers who are protected by binding agreements across a range of critical issues.