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How are retailers in the U.S. and abroad responding to last month's clothing factory collapse in Bangladesh, one of the worst industrial accidents ever? So far, the answer has been piecemeal.

More than fifteen major retailers in Europe have signed on to a legally binding plan to help pay for safety improvements at facilities in Bangladesh. But in the U.S., many companies are coming up with their own individual approaches to making the factories they use safe.

So what's keeping these companies from all joining together in one plan? Two key factors are the question of unions, and the question of liability.

Let’s start with the the union question. The factory safety proposal that has the most traction so far -- though not in the U.S. -- was launched by a global federation of trade unions, known as IndustriALL and Uni. A broad coalition of European retailers has joined the plan, including the world’s second largest retailer, Carrefour, as well as Benetton, H&M and the parent company of Zara. Together, these brands work with more than a fifth of the factories in Bangladesh, according to the plan’s sponsors. 

Known as the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh, the plan would be legally binding, and require retailers to finance key safety measures like fire escapes, which many Bangladeshi factories don’t have. Factories would have to submit to independent monitoring that includes input from workers themselves, and unions. 

And that last point, about the unions, is key, says Judy Gearhart, executive director of the International Labor Rights Forum, an advocacy group based in Washington that has worked on overseas garment factory safety issues for years.

In last month’s tragedy, there were reports that some workers were told they must come to work even after cracks appeared in the building. “Half of the problem is the fact that workers are not able to speak up,” says Gearhart. “Having trade unions at the table makes all the difference.”

But trade unions may be a big part of why most of the big U.S. retailers, including Wal-Mart, the Gap, Target and J.C Penny,  have not signed on to the Accord.

On Tuesday, Wal-Mart issued a statement saying that while it agreed with much of the Accord, it did not feel comfortable with “requirements, including governance and dispute resolution mechanisms, on supply chain matters that are appropriately left to retailers, suppliers and government.”

Marshall Cohen, a retail analyst with NPD Group, put it more bluntly. “Any time you use the word union in retail, they get nervous.”

“It’s a dilemma for retailers,” says Cohen. “They want to be responsible.  They want to do the right thing. But their model in many cases is based on providing the consumer with the lowest priced product and means that they have to carefully assess union shops, and using union rules and regulations.”

Another issue some U.S. retailers have raised with the Accord is liability. A spokesman for Gap told the New York Times “the U.S. is quite litigious,” expressing concerns that American lawyers could use a legally binding agreement to sue American companies on behalf of factory workers in Bangladesh.

Gap has proposed changes to the Accord that would replace language making it legally binding with a provision to expel any company from the factory safety plan that violated the agreement.

Meanwhile, Wal-Mart has come up with its own plan for factory safety in Bangladesh. It would not be legally binding. Instead, Wal-Mart would hire an outside auditor to inspect factories, and immediately stop working with factories that did not address safety issues. 

Under the plan Wal-Mart, a company known for hard-driving negotiations with suppliers to get the lowest prices possible, would not finance safety upgrades at the factories it uses, saying it expects those costs “to be appropriately reflected in its costs of goods purchased.”   

According to new data out today, the economies that use the euro weakened during the first quarter of 2013, marking the sixth straight quarter of contraction. France was officially in recession, while Germany, the continent's largest economy, eked out a slight expansion.

BBC economics correspondent Andrew Walker looks at the economic mood in these two countries.

A Treasury Department inspector general concludes that "ineffective management" is to blame for the singling out of some conservative groups.

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Also: George Orwell's rules for making tea; what Antigone can teach us about the burial of Tamerlan Tsarnaev.

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Today marks the beginning of Google's three day conference for developers, called Google I/O. Last year the company unveiled its tech-boosted spectacles, Google glass. It was perhaps one of the most extravagant unveilings in tech history -- glass-wearing Googlers streamed live video of themselves jumping out of a plane and riding into the convention on trick bikes.

I/O stands for "input/output," so Marketplace Tech host Ben Johnson got some input from CNET's Molly Wood on what Google might be outputting this year. Wood says it won't be easy to top last year's spectacle.

After six years, author Walter Mosley breathes life back into his detective hero Easy Rawlins — thought dead after crashing his car off a cliff. Easy embarks on another case, but as the lines blur between death and dying, he may discover answers to questions he hadn't thought to ask.

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While looking for the source of a leak, federal investigators obtained phone records of Associated Press reporters and editors. There's been bipartisan outrage over what many see as government overreach. The attorney general tells NPR "I'm not sure" how many such seizures he's signed off on.

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For decades, the role of breadwinner was reserved for men, but today, more than a quarter of American working women earn more than their spouses. That means more fathers are opting to stay home with the kids.

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This final note qualifies, I think, for the 'This Week's Sign the Apocalypse is Upon Us' tag.

Picture this: "Angry Birds: The Movie."

It's coming soon to a theater near you. Sony Pictures Entertainment and Rovio are gonna team up for a full-length animated 3-D version of the game.

Which does kinda make you think back to Mark Garrison's story, doesn't it? About getting Sony to concentrate more on consumer electronics and not so much on movies, hmmm?

The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee is taking a stab at the government inefficiency beast. The committee is set to hold a hearing on 380 ways to make Washington more efficient.

The number 380 comes from congressional reports outlining 380 areas of government waste and duplication. Yet despite the catchy title, governtment watchers aren't getting too excited.

“Oh, here we go again," says Paul Light, who teaches public service at New York University. “This is like watching Casa Blanca for the hundredth time.”

Light says there have been many efficiency efforts, but they usually die away because they require painful change. That hasn’t stopped just about every president from trying. Light says a Clinton administration initiative to reinvent government did have some success. It was spear headed by Vice President Al Gore, who smashed an expensive government-approved ash tray on the David Letterman show to promote it.

Gore’s initiative sprang from a reinventing government book co-authored by Ted Gaebler. It’s now printed in 22 languages. “Just last year into Mongolian," says Gaebler.  "The year before that in Farsi. So the Iranians are using it.”

Gaebler says he’s always getting international requests for cost-cutting advice. But he hasn’t gotten any calls from the U.S. government. 

Got ideas for the government that worked for you? Tell us in the comments.

The Congressional Budget Office has sharply revised down the outlook for the federal budget deficit. Some temporary factors are being cited for the projected improvement. Keeping the deficit on a downward path may depend on the economy, analysts say.

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A new charter school in Utah wants to equip students in kindergarten through ninth grade with a solid foundation in business. The principal insists it's not just a pint-sized business school. The goal is to give kids a well-rounded education that is also applicable in the real world.

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Activists are calling for a full investigation, and possibly lawsuits, following revelations that the IRS flagged so-called patriot groups for scrutiny in applications for federal tax-exempt status. Groups say they were asked about rallies, Facebook and Twitter activity.

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Activists are calling for a full investigation, and possibly lawsuits, following revelations the IRS flagged so-called Patriot groups for scrutiny in applications for federal tax-exempt status. Groups say they were asked about rallies, Facebook and Twitter activity.

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A low-sodium diet may cause more health problems than a medium-sodium diet, a new report found. But some health advocates say focusing on the potential risks of a low-sodium diet distracts from the more important conversation about how to get Americans to start consuming less salt.

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The NBA will soon crown another team as the best. And another MVP will be named. But commentator Frank Deford says such titles of greatness are fleeting.

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The Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines must submit plans Wednesday for ending the policy that keeps women from serving in ground combat positions. The move will open up more than 200,000 positions in the military to them, but the change won't end questions about the role of women in the armed forces.

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The Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines must submit plans Wednesday for ending the policy that keeps women from serving in ground combat positions. The move will open up more than 200,000 positions in the military to them, but the change won't end questions about the role of women in the armed forces.

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With budgets tight, the court in San Joaquin County, Calif., stopped hearing all small claims cases in September. More than 800 people have since filed claims with no hearing dates in sight. Many other counties nationwide are experiencing similar delays for civil cases as they grapple with spending cuts.

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With budgets tight, the court in San Joaquin County, Calif., stopped hearing all small claims cases in September. More than 800 people have since filed claims with no hearing dates in sight. Many other counties nationwide are experiencing similar delays for civil cases as they grapple with spending cuts.

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