A lawsuit filed on behalf of a former prisoner at Chishan Prison in China’s Hunan province alleges that Brookfield-based Milwaukee Tool and its Hong-Kong-based parent company, Techtronic Industries Co. Ltd., relied on forced Chinese prison labor to produce several models of work gloves, according to Madison365. The former prisoner alleges that he was forced to provide labor for the companies’ benefit for five months in 2022.
The filing in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin seeks compensation for unpaid wages and other damages under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, which allows forced labor victims — including foreign nationals — to take civil action against those who knowingly benefit from that labor.
According to the lawsuit, the former prisoner and others were forced to manufacture Milwaukee Tool-branded gloves including Demolition, Winter Demolition, Performance, and Free-Flex. They earned the equivalent of between $1.41–$42.50 per month to work up to 13 hours per day.
Milwaukee Tool stated that it has found no evidence of forced labor within its supply chain, and a spokesperson said last Thursday that the company “considers the claim without merit.” Techtronic Industries Co. Ltd. did not respond to requests for comment.
