Milwaukee Tool
Harm on record. Has recent confirmed harm to workers that it hasn't put right.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 7 sources
US maker of professional power tools and hand tools.
In 2024, the United States banned imports from a reported maker of Milwaukee Tool's work gloves over evidence of prison labour.
Also worth knowing
Milwaukee Tool has only partly put this right.
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Why it's graded Harm on record
- Not met: Meets 3 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It doesn't show that workers are paid a living wage, and isn't certified as working towards one. On Track needs at least one of these.
- Holds the grade back: It's Harm on record because of a serious confirmed problem from the last 5 years that it has only partly put right: forced labour, last recorded in 2024.
Good requirements 3 of 6
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
- Not met: Respects worker rightsJudged on where its products are made: worker rights are poorly protected in China, Vietnam and Hong Kong.
- Met: Supply chain independently audited or certified, or at least 80% made in countries with strong labour standards
- Not met: No child or forced labour findings or links
- Met: Names the factories or farms that make its products, or is fully certified by a scheme that holds and audits that listMakes its products in its own factories
- Met: High-risk raw materials (such as timber and cotton) traced or certified, or not a major part of its rangeNone recorded in a major share of its range
Red flags 2
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
- Red flag: Forced, slave or child labour found in or linked to its supply chain
Stars it would earn as Good
None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Where it's made
From Techtronic Industries' supplier list, which covers Milwaukee Tool and its sister brands. Milwaukee Tool publishes no breakdown of its own, so the countries shown are the group's. The rest is shown as where homewares and appliances are usually made.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Vietnam | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Germany | Strong protections | About a living wage | Low |
| Hong Kong | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Low |
| Taiwan | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| Thailand | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| United States | Systematic violations | Below a living wage | Low |
| IndiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
| PolandUsual for the industry | Regular violations | Close to a living wage | Moderate |
| IndonesiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| MalaysiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
Evidence
What we found
- No high-risk raw materials (such as timber and cotton) are recorded in a major share of its range, so the raw-material check doesn't hold it back for Good.
- Owns or runs its own production
- Modern slavery statement
- Independent social audits of all its main factories
Research notes Milwaukee tools are made mainly in TTI's own factories; TTI's Australian statement lists owned plants in China, Germany, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, the US and Vietnam, and Milwaukee runs its own US plants in Wisconsin, Mississippi and Tennessee. No shares by country or factory list are published. TTI is an RBA member with SMETA audits, but publishes no audit results, wage data or living wage commitment.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| US forced-labour import bans (UFLPA Entity List, CBP Withhold Release Orders) | Problem found | CBP Withhold Release Order of April 2024 on gloves from Shanghai Select Safety Products and subsidiaries, citing information that reasonably indicates convict labour. View |
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Listed | Covered by Techtronic Industries Australia's 2025 modern slavery statement, which names TTI-owned factory countries but reports no audit findings or cases. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Problem found | Records reports that Milwaukee-branded gloves were made with Chinese prison labour, with a company response. View |
| Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report | Not covered | Power tools are not assessed in Baptist World Aid's Ethical Fashion or Electronics reports; its Good Shopping Guide rates TTI Australia C overall. View |
| Corporate Human Rights Benchmark (World Benchmarking Alliance) | Not covered | Power tool makers are not among the sectors assessed in the 2026 Corporate Human Rights Benchmark. View |
Confirmed issues 1
Only confirmed problems are listed, and old ones drop off after 10 to 15 years. A problem the company has fully put right no longer counts against it, and nor does one it finds and is fixing itself. How problems are counted
| Last recorded | What happened | Made amends? |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | In April 2024 US Customs banned imports from Shanghai Select Safety Products, reported as a maker of Milwaukee-branded work gloves, over evidence of prison labour; former prisoners said they made the gloves (CBP, Wisconsin Watch, 2024). Source · archived copy | PartlyMilwaukee said it found no forced labour, called the gloves counterfeit and said it cut ties with the glove maker; no remedy for prisoners reported. |
Unconfirmed reports
Credible reports that haven't been confirmed by a regulator, completed investigation or the company. They're shown for your information and don't affect the grade.
- A former Chinese prisoner sued Milwaukee Tool and TTI in the US in 2024, saying he was forced to make Milwaukee gloves in prison; in December 2025 the court dismissed it without ruling on the facts, TTI for lack of jurisdiction and Milwaukee Tool because the law doesn't reach conduct abroad; it is on appeal in the Seventh Circuit (Bloomberg Law 2025; WLF 2026). Source
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- CBP issues Withhold Release Order on Shanghai Select Safety Products · archived copy · April 2024 import ban on gloves from Shanghai Select Safety Products over indications of convict labour
- US blocks alleged Milwaukee Tool supplier, citing forced Chinese prison labor (Wisconsin Watch, 2024) · search the archive · Links the banned supplier to Milwaukee gloves; Milwaukee denies forced labour, said it cut ties with the glove maker
- Power Tool Company Defeats Worker's Overseas Forced Labor Claims (Bloomberg Law, 2025) · search the archive · December 2025 dismissal of forced labour lawsuit against Milwaukee Tool and TTI on jurisdiction grounds
- Milwaukee Tool opens its largest U.S. manufacturing plant (Equipment World) · search the archive · Milwaukee plant in Grenada County, Mississippi; other US sites in Mississippi, Wisconsin and Tennessee
- Milwaukee Power Tools (Total Tools) · search the archive · Australia's largest Milwaukee dealer, selling online and in its 100+ stores
Published by Milwaukee Tool or its owner
- Techtronic Industries Australia - Modern Slavery Statement 2025 · search the archive · Most products from TTI-owned factories in CN, DE, HK, TW, TH, US, VN; no findings or wage commitments
- TTI UK Modern Slavery Statement FY2025 · search the archive · Owned factories in China and Vietnam; SMETA audits; RBA member; 48,000+ staff
Company details
- Headquarters
- United States
- Employees
- About 48,318
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Milwaukee Tool ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/milwaukee, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Harm on record means
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Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Milwaukee Tool.