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The Human Cost of the Apple Supply Chain Machine (bloomberg.com)
Apple is still struggling to improve working conditions at its supply chain factories. China Labor Watch and Bloomberg reported on Tuesday that Catcher, a key supplier for iPhone and MacBook casings, makes workers endure harsh safety conditions and unfair work terms in a factory in Suqian. According to observers and discussions with workers, the machines are not only loud, but spray fluid and metallic particles that frequently hit workers' faces only some of which have access to safety goggles and gloves. From the report: Hundreds throng a workshop where the main door only opens about 12 inches. Off duty, they return to debris-strewn dorms bereft of showers or hot water. Many go without washing for days at a time, workers told Bloomberg. "My hands turned bloodless white after a day of work," said one of the workers, who makes a little over 4,000 yuan a month (just over $2 an hour) in her first job outside her home province of Henan. She turned to Catcher because her husband's home-decorating business was struggling. "I only tell good things to my family and keep the sufferings like this for myself." "I asked for the earplugs many times but they didn't have any. The loud noise of 'zah-zah' made my head ache and dizzy," one of those employees told Bloomberg.
Apple had the courage to remove the headphone jack. And to drive prices up to $1,000 per unit. These measures will ultimately result in improved working conditions for those who are privileged to be building Apple's hardware. I heard that the wealth trickles down.
I'll see your senator, and I'll raise you two judges.
Apple isn't able to produce phones that sell for only $1,000 without slave labor. They only have $231 billion of cash on hand. Think of the children of the Apple executives.
It's unfortunate this has been modded down into obscurity, because it's true.
When you go to the supermarket, do you find out the working conditions of your banana picker? Do people make sure the apple pickers have benefits? I'm from Nova Scotia's Annapolis valley where a lot of the apples in Eastern North America are grown and I will tell you that none of the greedy rich farm owners here pay more than a pittance for the pickers.
The responsibility for worker conditions lies squarely with the workers and the government of the country they live. Worker conditions aren't changed from the outside. People's conditions are changed when they stand up for themselves. The Magna Carta didn't happen when the French decided not to buy English exports. The 5 day 40 hour work week didn't happen when consumers stopped buying manufactured goods. They happen when people demand it.