On June 15, 2024, Guatemalan union leader Anastacio Tzib Caal was murdered in Villa Canales, outside of Guatemala City. With a long trajectory of promoting worker rights in the garment industry, Mr. Tzib Caal had recently been elected general secretary of the SITRATEXPIA II union at SAE-A Trading Corporation’s Texpia II factory. The factory produces clothing for several well-known international brands, including Carhartt, Target and Walmart. Other well-known brands, including Gap and Polo Ralph Lauren, are major business partners of SAE-A in Guatemala and internationally.

One year ago, trade union activist Shahidul Islam was attacked and killed in front of the Prince Jacquard Sweaters Ltd factory in Bangladesh. Despite repeated outreach by the Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC) network to over 50 garment brands identified as sourcing from the factory, the family has received very little compensation from only one of those brands.