Melissa Mercedes Code of Conduct

Our Code of Conduct extends beyond our factories to all subcontractors and sub-suppliers and it outlines our policies on the below and beyond:

Child Labor, Forced Labor & Human Trafficking, Wages & Benefits, Hours of Work, Freedom of Association & Rights to Collective Bargaining, Environmental Responsibility, Discrimination, Subcontracting, Law and Code Compliance, Health & Safety, Customs.

Child Labor

Child labor, defined as children under the age of 15 is strictly prohibited in any area of the workplace in order to provide safety and security to children and ensure proper mental development.  Our priority is to promote universal education for children under the age of 18 and participate in programs of sustained economic growth to promote social progress and poverty alleviation.  Partners must encourage and allow eligible workers, especially younger workers, to attend night classes, participate in work-study programs, and other government-sponsored educational programs.  In addition, they must maintain official documentation for each worker that verifies the worker’s date of birth.

Forced Labor / Human Trafficking

Employees shall be free to work at their will.  No forced labor, slave labor, prison labor, bonded labor or human trafficking will be used in the manufacture and finishing of Vuori products nor engage in human trafficking or slavery.  We require our partners take responsibility for the protection of free will and monitor third-party agents and recruiters to ensure people seeking employment are not coerced, intimidated, deceived or punished for holding or expressing political views in their search for employment.  All workers should have control of their citizenship documents at all times, and all labor contracts should be written in their native language clearly outlining the employment relationship.  In addition, Melissa Mercedes vendors must not utilize or purchase materials from business partners utilizing forced labor.

Wages and Benefits

Employees shall be compensated for the work administered in a regular work week, plus any overtime wages.  Compensation shall meet or exceed the legal minimum, industry standards, or collective bargaining agreements—whichever is higher.  Overtime rates are 125% of regular hourly rate.  Overtime rates begin when the daily working hours exceed eight hours in a day or forty hours in a week.  Employers shall consider appropriate steps towards achieving a decent living wage that covers not only minimum wage but allows employees to meet basic needs and allow for discretionary spending.  If compensation does not meet the employee’s basic needs, the vendor should develop and communicate a strategy to improve compensation such that it does.  Vendors must ensure that all wages are paid in a timely manner and that all legally mandated benefits, including holidays and leaves, are paid for when employment ends. Melissa Mercedes will prioritize partners who pay wages and offer benefits programs that exceed legal requirements.

Environmental Responsibility

We recognize our business has a direct impact on environmental resources.  Water, energy use, material waste, chemical management are all environmental impacts for which we shall be accountable.  Manufacturing partners must have written environmental policies and standards in place and shall adhere to the local regulations around water use and impact and shall responsibly handle effluents with the highest level of integrity to preserve the environment.  Manufacturers are required to assign an authority or body to review best practices to ensure creative solutions are developed to ensure the safety of workers and the security of environmental resources. Melissa Mercedes seeks to partner with vendors that implement systems to minimize the negative impact of their operations on the environment. 

No Discrimination

We recognize all human beings have the right to pursue both material well-being and spiritual development with freedom and dignity, economic security and equal opportunity.  All people seeking employment at Melissa Mercedes factories shall be considered without the distinction or preference of race, color, gender, age, maturity, marital status, creed, religion, political opinion or social origin.  Migrant, temporary and seasonal workers shall receive the same protection as annual staff.  Vendors shall employ workers solely on the basis of their ability to do the job.  Melissa Mercedes will not tolerate discrimination of any kind and will result in a re-evaluation of the partnership.

Disciplinary Action

Vendors will treat employees fairly with respect and dignity, and, therefore, are not allowed to use any form of physical, sexual, psychological, or verbal abuse and/or harassment. Employees shall not be subject to monetary fines or embarrassing acts as a means of discipline.

Sub-Contracting

Vendors are not permitted to subcontract Melissa Mercedes manufacturing out to third parties without our written consent.  We understand that there will be times when sub-contracting is a necessary advantage to producing an order on time, so in the event Melissa Mercedes does approve a subcontract relationship, all subcontractors must meet the standards outlined in this Vendor Code of Conduct.

Law & Code Compliance

All Melissa Mercedes manufacturing partners are required to adhere to local labor law and regulations including those at the federal, state and community levels.  Labor laws shall be made available to workers in a language they understand.  If no clear labor law or code is available, the factory shall communicate this to Melissa Mercedes and adopt the highest standard available by International Labor Standards.

Health & Safety

Employers set the tone for the safe and healthy operation of the manufacturing facility.  All workers have the right to be protected from injury, sickness and diseases in the workplace regardless of their position within the company.  Workers shall have access to safety and occupational hazard training upon initial employment and annual review of training thereafter.  Women who are pregnant will not be required to do work that is prejudicial to the health of the mother or child.  All employees shall have the right to report any grievances to an authority or body so that the facility may review process in a timely manner.  There shall be zero tolerance for intimidation or retaliation towards employees when matters are under review. 

Hours of Work

The number of regular hours worked per week shall not exceed forty-eight and the number of regular plus overtime hours shall not exceed sixty.  Workers have the right to at least 24 hours of consecutive rest in every seven-day period.  Overtime work shall not be required by employer and must be mutually agreed upon.  Vendors must inform Melissa Mercedes if additional hours are required so that we may try to work together to reduce the frequency of excessive overtime.