Millions of garment workers around the world are out of work, risking starvation. AND some are even being denied wages for work they completed months ago. Big, multibillion-dollar corporations, like Walmart, Kohl’s, and The Children’s Place, are refusing to pay for their clothes that workers already made.  

COVID-19 brought apparel supply chains to a halt, and corporations pushed the problem down the supply chain. This resulted in garment workers and local suppliers bearing most of the financial burden. Even though cloth had been purchased, and the work was in production or even finished, corporations left workers and suppliers out to dry, resulting in $40 billion owed to suppliers.

After canceling $150 million in orders, leaving workers and suppliers out to dry, Kohl’s still managed to pay shareholders over $100 million in dividends – the impacts of the pandemic are not felt equally.

19 apparel companies have already committed to pay up – we can’t let JC Penney, Kohl’s, Ross Stores, Sears, The Children’s Place, TJ Maxx, Urban Outfitters, and Walmart get away with this. It’s simple: suppliers should be paid for the costs they incurred to make these retailers’ clothes. Workers should get their wages. Corporations expect you to pay for their products, and the people who make the goods should get the same treatment.

The Worker Rights Consortium has the most up to date information on which apparel brands and retailers have committed to paying up.