Legislative, Regulatory & Legal

New York -- The deadliest disaster in the history of the garment industry, as reported by The New York Times, has led to finger-pointing and lawsuits aimed at a group of retailers.

Walmart detailed a wide range of considerable accomplishments in its eighth annual Global Responsibility Report released this week, but what the world really want to know is what’s up with those toilets at Pico Rivera, Calif., supercenter.

In case you missed it, Walmart abruptly closed the store and four others due to what the company characterized as emergency plumbing issues. Plans called for the stores to close for six months while repairs were made and employees were given two months severance pay and told them would need to reapply for jobs when the stores reopened.

Washington, D.C. -- The U.S. House of Representatives passed a long-awaited bill by a vote of 307-116 on Wednesday that would make it easier for private companies to share information about cybersecurity threats with the government without fear of lawsuits.

The bill must be approved by the U.S. Senate before it can be sent to President Barack Obama to sign into law. A similar measure was passed by a 14-1 vote in the Senate Intelligence Committee, and supporters say they expect strong bipartisan support in the full Senate as well.

Major retailers, trade groups and politicians sounded a euphoric and bipartisan tone last week following the introduction of trade legislation with potentially huge implications for the retail industry and the U.S. economy.

Washington, D.C. - The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) is seeking an injunction from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) against Wal-Mart Stores Inc. relating to the closure of five stores due to alleged plumbing problems. The UFCW wants the NLRB to force Wal-Mart to rehire 2,200 store employees who are currently on paid leave while the stores are closed for what Wal-Mart says are necessary plumbing repairs.

A. Alfred Taubman, the father of the modern indoor shopping mall, has died. He was 91.

The announcement was made over the weekend by his son, Robert Taubman, the chairman, president and chief executive officer of Taubman Centers Inc. Taubman said his father suffered a heart attack.

Los Angeles -- Frederick's of Hollywood Group filed Chapter 11 after earlier closing all of its 94 remailing stores and entering into an agreement to sell its online business, inventory and intellectual property to Authentic Brands Group LLC for a reported $22.5 million.

Founded in 1947, the privately held retailer of sexy lingerie cited competition (it faced an especially formidable rival in Victoria’s Secret), decreased mall traffic and leases in its filing. It listed $36.5 million in assets and $106 million in debt.

Washington, D.C. – The National Retail Federation (NRF) and Gap Inc. are both asking Congress to approve legislation that would reauthorize Trade Promotion Authority (TPA), saying such authority is critical to advancing free trade agreements.