Date of publication: July 11, 2009
Source: San Francisco Chronicle
Author: Bob Egelko
Workers in foreign factories that supply Wal-Mart can't blame the company for their alleged sweatshop conditions, despite the retail giant's code of conduct that's supposed to hold its contractors to decent labor standards, a federal appeals court ruled Friday.
The Ninth U.S. Circuit of Appeals in San Francisco refused to reinstate a suit filed in 2005 by factory workers in China, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Swaziland and Nicaragua. They accused Wal-Mart of failing to enforce its code and winking at violations, while touting its standards to potential shoppers...