Speaking of mistreated workers – Apple’s main supplier – and habitual human rights abuser – FoxConn announced plans to give their employees a pay raise. The move comes after more than a quarter-million people signed a petition on MoveOn.org demanding that Apple crack down on its suppliers who are engaging in abusive labor practices.
Recent reports out of Chinese-based FoxConn describe a factory where workers toil for 14-hour shifts, collecting abysmally low pay, and share cramped dormitories with other workers. Suicides are so prevalent at the factory that nets were installed to catch people who jumped off the roof. Apple is one of the largest and most powerful corporations in the world – achieving its success through modern-day slave labor.
And while a 25% pay increase for its supply workers in China is a step in the right direction, it’s time for American consumers to demand the company bring manufacturing back to the USA.
Comments
Why do Americans need to own a single Apple product? They're all bells and whistles.
iPhones are assembled in China, not manufactured. Open the thing up sometime and look inside. Most of it is manufactured in Japan, Korea and Germany. Demand all you want, but Apple can't do anything about that because American manufacturers cannot do what is done in Japan. They lack the technology and the skill. That is not Apple's fault.
But if you want America to compete for the scraps of the industrial job base, I guess that is your prerogative. I suggest you read Eamonn Fingleton, especially In Praise of Hard Industry. You are the one who introduced me to him. Now I am returning the favour. We will never compete for labour intensive jobs like assembly. Capital intensive jobs, like high tech manufacturing and machining is where the good manufacturing jobs are. Just ask Japan and Germany. But they require significant investment, and we are already years, perhaps decades, behind.
Wonder if Thom has switched to an Android phone yet? <grin> You do know that Thom was once an Apple dealer. He used to talk about but maybe not so much these days. <grin>
Check out this Foxconn update I stumbled onto while browsing ... Bill Weir of Nightline took a tour of Foxconn recently ... part of the video from the Nightline segment is included with the article ... http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/22/nightline-apple-supplier-foxcon...