The deadline for clothing retailers to sign on to an accord for factory safety in Bangladesh passed on May 16 with at least 14 major U.S. retailers declining to participate.

The agreement demands a five-year commitment from participating clothing brands to conduct independent safety inspections of factories and to pay up to $500,000 per year toward safety improvements. It has won greater support abroad than in the United States.

Major European retailers such as Benetton, H&M and Marks & Spencer were among those who signed on to the accord following the collapse of a factory in Bangladesh in April that killed more than 1,100 people. Among U.S. retailers, PVH, the parent to Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger, signed the agreement, and Abercrombie & Fitch joined as well just hours before the deadline. But some of the biggest retailers refused to sign the accord, including Walmart, Gap, Macy’s, Kohl’s and the Children’s Place.

IndustriALL Global Union, which drove the accord, said retail brands will still be able to join after the deadline, but would at that point have no input on how the factory safety plan is put into effect.

“There can be no uncommitted passengers because the stakes are too high,” said IndustriALL Global Union General Secretary Jyrki Raina.

Huffington Post, May 17
IndustriALL press release, May 16