On October 3, 2017, farmworkers from the Vermont-based Migrant Justice and the CEO of Ben & Jerry’s jointly signed the first-of-its-kind Milk with Dignity (MD) agreement. The legally binding contract commits Ben & Jerry’s to implement a worker-driven human rights program in its Northeast dairy supply chain.
Read MoreLaunched in 2019, the “Agreements to Prevent and Combat Gender-Based Violence and Harassment in Lesotho” are making great progress towards their goals of addressing sexual harassment and gender-based violence in the Lesotho-based suppliers of several major apparel brands. This historic binding agreement has been a tremendous accomplishment for Lesotho garment workers, who, though their unions, are ending the pervasive abuses in garment factories The program’s success to date also shows the adaptability and scalability of the Worker-driven Social Responsibility model, which continues to prove just how effective it is at protecting workers’ fundamental human rights in global supply chains spanning three continents and multiple industries.
Read MoreFor generations, farmworkers have suffered from levels of poverty and abuse unparalleled in the US labor market. Well-documented challenges in the workplace have included physical and verbal abuse, rape and widespread sexual harassment, discrimination, and high fatal and non-fatal injury rates.
Read MoreOn the morning of April 24, 2013, the 9-story Rana Plaza building in Bangladesh collapsed, killing 1,138 workers and injuring more than 2,000. It was the deadliest disaster in the history of the modern garment industry. Before its collapse, the building had housed five garment factories, producing clothing for well-known Western brands, including Walmart, JCPenney, The Children’s Place, Inditex (owner of Zara), Loblaw, Primark, and many others.
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