What The Fair Labor Association Does

The FLA brings together colleges and universities, NGOs, and socially responsible companies in a unique multi-stakeholder initiative to end sweatshop labor and improve working conditions in factories worldwide.   The FLA holds its participants -- those involved at every stage of the manufacturing and marketing process --accountable to the FLA Workplace Code of Conduct.  At its core, the FLA is built on four pillars: 

Collaborative Action

The FLA’s broad makeup provides a unique power and effectiveness to improve the situation of workers in factories across the globe.  In all of its programs and initiatives, the FLA leverages the strength of its diverse membership to effect positive change in working conditions. The FLA also works with governments, other labor and human rights groups, and local trade unions and NGOs in its projects. The FLA is a member of the Joint Initiative on Corporate Accountability and Workers Rights  (Jo-In) along with five other multi-stakeholder initiatives such as the Workers Rights Consortium and Clean Clothes Campaign. The project seeks consensus on a common code of conduct and standards on living wage, hours of work and freedom of association.

Monitoring, Transparency and Public Reporting

Companies who join the FLA commit to public reporting on the conditions in their supplier factories, to establish internal systems for monitoring working conditions and maintaining Code standards, and to being part of a rigorous system of monitoring.

To ensure transparency, the result of these Independent External Monitoring (IEM) events are published on the FLA website in the form of tracking charts. Since 2002, the FLA has conducted over 600 IEMs in factories around the world.  The FLA is the only labor rights initiative to publish the results of its systematic monitoring efforts. The FLA accredits independent third-party monitors and engages them to conduct annually unannounced audits of a group of randomly selected factories that supply FLA-affiliate brands and universities.  

The FLA also publishes an Annual Public Report that provides a comprehensive view of IEM data; profiles member companies and their supply chains; and offers insight into global labor rights trends.

Ensuring Remediation

In addition, the FLA requires that companies work with the factories to ensure that violations of the Code are corrected through development of a remediation plan.  The FLA reports on remediation efforts through the tracking charts. In addition, the FLA conducts verification audits to confirm ongoing progress in audited factories.

Third Party Complaints 

Still another way in which the FLA responds to labor violations in a workplace is through its third party complaint system.  Anyone—a worker, advocate, company, or individual—can contact the Fair Labor Association to report Code violations at a factory supplying products to a member company. Complaints are confidential and are rigorously investigated. When violations are found, the Fair Labor Association publicly reports them and works with all stakeholders to find sustainable solutions. View More...

A Strategy for Innovation and Labor Rights

The FLA applies its understanding of regional and global trends in labor rights to develop lasting solutions. The FLA brings workers, factory managers, companies, and NGOs together to develop sustainable change based on respect for workers’ rights.  The FLA uses knowledge gained through monitoring to develop special projects that target persistent regional or sector-specific Code violations. For example, the Central America Project  was developed in response to repeated IEM findings related to violations of the discrimination, harassment and abuse and freedom of association Code elements. Through the project, the FLA has trained brands, factory managers and workers throughout the region on the best industrial relations practices on non-discrimination in recruitment, hiring, grievance procedures and termination.  

The FLA knows that monitoring alone cannot create Code compliance. More than simply exposing and correcting violations is required for sustained protections of worker rights.  That’s why, in 2005, the FLA launched FLA 3.0, a new labor compliance methodology designed to create sustainable compliance at the factory level. FLA 3.0 gives factories the tools they need to assess their compliance capacity, fill compliance gaps and report on ongoing progress. FLA 3.0 goes beyond monitoring to allow factories to manage compliance on a self-sustaining basis. Click here for more information on FLA 3.0.