On Saturday, the AFL-CIO joined a coalition led by the United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS) in an international day of action to pressure Walmart and Gap to stop the use of unsafe factories that have killed more than 1,800 workers in Bangladesh since 2005. To date, the two corporate giants have refused to sign on to a legally binding Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh that would go a long way toward making workers in Bangladesh safer. 

The Accord provides for independent inspections by trained fire safety experts, public reporting of inspection results, mandatory repairs and renovations financed by the companies who are signatory to the agreement, and a central role for workers and unions in both oversight and implementation.  Most importantly, unlike voluntary factory monitoring schemes that have failed to deliver decent working conditions in the past, the Accord is a  legally enforceable contract. More than 60  brands and retailers that source from factories in Bangladesh have signed the Accord, but so far Gap and Walmart have refused.

"We’re taking action to demand that the Gap and Walmart sign the Bangladesh Safety Accord, an legally-binding agreement with labor unions to transform factories from deathtraps to safe workplaces, impacting millions of workers who risk their lives every day to produce Gap and Walmart garments,” said Garrett Strain, International Campaigns Coordinator with USAS. “These companies should sign the accord and stop playing games with workers’ lives, before it's too late.”

Events took place across many cities in the United States and in several other countries, including the United Kingdom and Australia. AFL-CIO Union Summer interns also participated in the action.

Check out the video in the post to see the action Georgia Union Summer interns did at a Gap store in an Atlanta mall.