Foxconn != Apple. Folks need to do a better job distinguishing between the two.

6/6/2010 2:47:56 PM

apple is to blame because making their products is so boring

6/6/2010 2:49:24 PM

millions of satisfied customers agree with you.

6/6/2010 2:51:15 PM

lets see those customers happily assemble those iPods. it should be more like a puzzle and when you're done it should say congratulations and play a neat tune and then you have a dance party

6/6/2010 2:52:46 PM

^^I think he said making not using

[Edited on June 6, 2010 at 3:03 PM. Reason : ^]

6/6/2010 2:52:56 PM

^ don't confuse this farce of a thread with facts, sir.

6/6/2010 2:53:58 PM

if steve jobs were a genius he'd reinvent manufacturing in such a way that workers actually enjoy making shit

make it more like 5th grade art class and less like a sweatshop mang

6/6/2010 2:56:16 PM

Quote :

"It would seem like with the huge markup on Apple products they could produce their hardware in a more Apple environment. You know with windmills, solar panels, trees and free hippies to work the line."

6/6/2010 4:31:03 PM

i might get bored and decide to derail your thread further.

6/6/2010 4:33:36 PM

if hell doesn't exist because christians are just idiots and the hell is like hell... does the factory really exist?

6/6/2010 4:34:32 PM

Quote :

"This thread is about 1 factory. There are many like it, but this one is in the spotlight because its Apple related. Why you fail to understand this is the real issue here."

I don't fail to understand that bad work conditions are a problem. What you and your buddy fail to understand is that you guys have this mis-guided view that "a lot" of companies mistreat their workers.

Quote :

"Makes no sense...but ok."

It makes plenty of sense. You and your buddy are using this example of 1 factory in all of China to substantiate a claim that "a lot" of factories in China are like this.

You act as if this is the first time Foxconn has been in the news of worker abuse. About 3 years ago there was an expose on a Chinese factory that was contracted out by Apple to make their iPods. I do believe it was also Foxconn. This is hardly any new news at all.

Like I said, you guys get a biased view in the Western world when it comes to issues like this. How often do you hear about factories in China that are better than many factories found in the US. They exist, I guarantee you that. Fact of the matter is you don't hear about those cases, because nobody is entertained by it. I suggest you keep that in mind next time you decide to speak out of your ass.

Quote :

"So you've been to two factories now in China? Expert ITT."

And you've been to how many factories in China? Oh right, NONE. I don't claim to know everything, but I'm pretty sure I know more than you.

A large part of the problem with the perspectives found in the West, is that we hear about workers only making 200-300 USD a month, which by OUR standards, is piss poor. However, 1400 to 2100 yuan goes pretty damn far in China when it comes to being able to live (not to mention that there is welfare programs in China that are similar to ours in the US).

6/6/2010 11:13:30 PM

Wages do vary from country to country, but you have to draw the line somewhere when it comes to working conditions. You have to know when to say "ok this is inhumane, even if it does benefit certain investors or keep costs of goods down." I used to argue with my professors about this (I have an Econ minor).

6/6/2010 11:48:33 PM

6/7/2010 10:53:19 PM

Quote :

"I used to argue with my professors about this (I have an Econ minor)."

lol

6/7/2010 10:55:41 PM

Quote :

"[quote]I used to argue with my professors about this (I have an Econ minor)."

lol[/quote]

6/8/2010 1:22:39 AM

Quote :

"Foxconn Offers Performance-based Pay Raise of 66 Percent"

http://www.dailytech.com/Foxconn+Offers+Performancebased+Pay+Raise+of+66+Percent/article18639.htm

Quote :

" Workers would have to pass a three-month evaluation Foxconn is the company that manufactures some of the most popular gadgets on the market including the Apple iPhone and the iPad. Over the last several months, Foxconn has seen an uptick in suicides among its workers that have led to concerns over conditions at the factory. Bloomberg reported earlier this month that one worker at the Foxconn factory described life as "meaningless" and "very tough" at the factory. In an attempt to provide better pay and working conditions for workers at the factory, Apple cut its own profits by 0.7 percent to give the workers at the factory a raise of about 30 percent. After the raise, the workers at the factory made a meager $172 a month. Foxconn has announced that it is now offering its workers up to a 66 percent increase in pay if they can pass a performance evaluation. The pay raise would require a three-month evaluation and if the worker passes, they would get the raise to 2,000 yuan per month. The 2,000 yuan monthly pay works out to about $293 here in the United States. Foxconn founder and chairman Terry Gou said, "This wage increase has been instituted to safeguard the dignity of workers, accelerate economic transformation, support Foxconn's long-term objective of continued evolution from a manufacturing leader to a technology leader, and to rally and sustain the best of our workforce." He continued saying, "We are working diligently to ensure that our workplace standards and remuneration not only continue to meet the rapidly changing needs of our employees, but that they are best in class." Reuters reports that so far this year ten workers at the Foxconn factory in Longhua, China have killed themselves. All of the ten workers were reportedly migrant workers that left the poor areas of China to find work."

LOL way to go Jobs! Giving a 1% loss in your profits to Foxconn proves you knew this all along.



[Edited on June 8, 2010 at 1:02 PM. Reason : .]

6/8/2010 1:00:11 PM

Quote :

"the workers at the factory made a meager $172 a month."

Way to go article author! This proves you're bias!

6/8/2010 6:26:29 PM

LOL THIS IS EPIC

Quote :

"Foxconn Cuts Suicide Payouts, Looks to Replace Employees With Robots"

http://www.dailytech.com/Foxconn+Cuts+Suicide+Payouts+Looks+to+Replace+Employees+With+Robots/article18664.htm

Quote :

"Company also blames news networks for the suicides Foxconn seemed to be turning the corner in working conditions and corporate policy. It had raised employees' base wages and instituted additional performance based increases, as well. It even had retracted its contract letters to employees demanding they didn't kill themselves. Now the manufacturer -- which services Apple, Sony, Microsoft, and a host of other companies -- is turning to some controversial new changes. First of all, at its annual shareholder meeting yesterday, Terry Gou, CEO of Taiwan's Hon Hai Precision Industry (owners of the Chinese Foxconn unit) blamed news agencies and company payouts for the rash of suicides. He first read a letter from one of the employees who killed himself, which stated: ...now I'm going to jump off Foxconn, really leaving now, but you don't have to be sad, because Foxconn will pay a bit of money, this is all your son can repay you now. He also stated that 6 of the 12 suicides, which occurred in May after the story received international attention, may have triggered a "Werther Effect" -- people reading about the story and deciding to kill themselves. As a result, Gou is handing control over "welfare management work" to the Chinese local government, which may chose to block internet coverage for the events. He also announced that Foxconn will no longer pay the families of employees who kill themselves. Recently a worker died, apparently from exhaustion from working long hours and Foxconn refused to pay his family, as well. The new policy, though, ends suicide payouts that could total as much as 10 years worth of salary. Foxconn has also started to flee China, where it currently employs over 800,000 people. In the shareholders meeting it said that the rise in wages from ¥900 ($132) to ¥1,200 ($176), and for top performers up to ¥2,000 ($293), is compelling it to move to countries with cheaper labor or seek alternative options. It says that it may replace employees with robots, building a fully automated assembly line in Taiwan. This suggestion is somewhat ironic, given recent Foxconn factory workers' complaints that they felt like "robots" when performing their duties. Chairman Samuel Chen says that the company may also shift employees and orders to its Vietnam plant, where labor is cheaper. Chen says that Foxconn is working with the companies that contract it to make these moves as smooth as possible. "

[Edited on June 9, 2010 at 5:45 PM. Reason : .]

6/9/2010 5:44:23 PM