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The Center has made the report available to read in both English and Spanish.

This report examines the importance of collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) for addressing poor working conditions in global supply chains. The report is organized into two parts. Part I explores the context in which the manufacturing export sector in Honduras (primarily garments) developed. This is based on an analysis of trade and financial data and an exploration of secondary sources. It examines the growth of the apparel sector, the status of labor law and workers’ rights, the structure of global supply chains, and the evolution of bargaining in the sector. Part I concludes by analyzing the path-breaking agreement between Honduran unionists and the multinational corporation Fruit of the Loom, known by the parties as the ‘Washington Agreement.’ Part II examines the twelve years of collective bargaining that followed the signing of the Washington Agreement. It does so through field research and an original survey of 387 workers in Honduras, which was done through a model of ‘worker-driven’ research. Part II documents the positive impact of CBAs on wages, benefits, the reduction of gender-based violence and harassment in the world of work, pandemic relief, and a range of other benefits for workers. It is one of first extensive and systematic examinations of collective bargaining agreements in Honduras since the 2009 signing of the Washington Agreement.