Apple's Foxconn Plant Workers Complain of "Militant Culture"

What do you pay when you buy the ipad? You don't pay for the salary of those people and I would be very surprise to know that it cost 700$ of parts to create an ipad... Seriously, what are we paying? Just for the logo on the ipad?

Sorry, but I'm samsung and pc.

My point is that U.S corporation with multi-million dollar as handy-cash (100% liquid cash) has the bargain power -- they just have to say, "if your workers conditions are not improved, we'll move to, say, Vietnam etc etc". Yet, they didn't do -- the executives at Apple is bloody heartless.

Don't become a Heartless -- stop using the iCraps.

apple will let foxconn continue treat their employees as usual to keep up apple's morbidly obese profit margins. go foxconn!!
(btw your motherboards suck)

Apple offers average products at high prices. The only reason people buy it is because they've brainwashed the average consumer that it's cool to own their products. Apple is just really a genius marketing firm producing average products. Anyone that knows anything about computers will not buy an Apple product unless that person is making money from Apple somehow (selling, repairing/maintenance, app dev, etc.). It is an attractive customer base though, willing to spend big bucks to be "cool" so I kinda get the people that gets into this Apple "fashion" to make money. I'm saying fashion because if Apple ever loses it's cool factor, they will lose big market shares pretty quickly. They are sitting on unlimited billions now. I guess that's the definition of success?

The same work these people do could be done by an automated assembly line with human supervision. Problem is, that would cost Apple more money than using the "human machines". Besides, maintaining the robotic assembly line is costly, too; if a machine breaks down you have to fix it and get some non-productive time. With people, you can just fire the worker and replace him/her with the next in line waiting outside. Hence, it is much cheaper for Apple to use factories than employ such methods. Cheaper=more net revenue for Apple's execs and more money for bonuses and such.
Cutting that amount by, say, ten percent would mean essentially nothing for Apple brass (what, can't live with 10% less out of a 7-8 figure income?), but would allow them to deploy a modern automated assembly line or even better, to relocate the assembly lines here in US. That would be a really healthy move for our economy, as well.
But... have you seen a greedy a$$ exec take a pay cut when he/she didn't have to, just for the sake of the others (which, in turn, could actually benefit them, too)?
Didn't think so.

B***s**t

china is a communist country, get used to it....what do they expect?.....if they want a different lifestyle they need to overthrow the government

CNN is not to be trusted. I wish one day CNN office is burnt down to the ground.

... it seams like conspiracy... Steve is dead... and the floodgates are open... here are the list of other companies, that use foxconn...
Acer Inc. (Taiwan)
Amazon.com (United States)
Apple Inc. (United States)
ASRock (Taiwan)
Asus (Taiwan)
Barnes & Noble (United States)
Cisco (United States)
Dell (United States)
EVGA Corporation (United States)
Hewlett-Packard (United States)
Intel (United States)
IBM (United States)
Lenovo (China)
Microsoft (United States)
MSI (Taiwan)
Motorola (United States)
Netgear (United States)
Nintendo (Japan)
Nokia (Finland)
Panasonic (Japan)
Samsung (South Korea)
Sharp (Japan)
Sony (Japan)
Sony Ericsson (Japan/Sweden)
Vizio (United States)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foxconn

atleast the robots shoud't complain for a while

So? If a worker gets replaced by a machine, he or she won't have a job at all.

It's easy for us to complain in the developed world with 35hour weeks and unemployment benefits, etc., but 100-150years ago we had sweatshops just like that. It's the natural development of things.

Is there anyone here whom actually thinks a single technology company is innocent? They all screw people over, especially the older companies. Normally I'd be hating on CNN to some extent, but they may have done something right here. This isn't the first report of Foxconn's apparent brutality against their employees, we've been being told about this for months, maybe even years by several people/groups.

What we need is a list of COUNTRIES using Foxcon !

It seems that the US is one of they main customers according to DjEaZy list.

Taiwan, China, Japan in there but prob to make sub products for final delivery to the USA as well.

OFF TOPIC QUESTION - sort off...

Reading this and other articles I see my bandwidth SPIKE to almost 100%
What the hell is the site sending ?

Once again, a story about Foxconn and the only US tech company pointed out is Apple. Why not the disclosure about Microsoft and other big name companies as DjEaZy pointed out? Won't get the click-through you want? Seems from the article that these people can leave when they want and get another job, so are they being forced to work there under gunpoint? No. If it's so boring, then leave.

You know what's funny? i read a article/report/editorial (don't really know what to call it) at either Cult of Mac or Forbes.com (can't remember clearly, think it was CoM), saying that Apple is totally awesome that it outsources the assembly of it's products. They said that look, each worker at foxconn gets like $10 per iphone, so their hardly paid, which is really cool because then most of the money goes to american workers and drives the american economy. Chinese workers are made to do jobs that "aren't worthy of a first-world country".

Hypocritical Apple as usual?

I work 66 hours a week for $1133 a month

For this article at least, the worker in question is working on an Apple product. So it makes sense to talk about Apple. Not that they should avoid mentioning other companies.

In order to leave a job, you have to be able to get a different job, or have some savings to live on until you do. They don't get paid enough to save up money, and apparently getting a new job isn't that easy.

Don't see why I'd get a Thumbs down for asking a legitimate question.
But....

If I read this page with the SeaMonkey Browser my bandwidth usage goes thru the roof, if I use Firefox all is normal.

Anyone have an idea why that may be ?

60 hours a week sitting on stool applying labels. May be boring, but it hardly sounds like slavery.

I averaged 75.2 hours a week for 2011, building ships.

Hm, Toshiba it is then! As for parts... glad I'm a gigabyte fan

Exactly. Everyone uses Foxconn. Everyone is guilty. Saying you avoid Apple, and use another company(that also uses foxconn) because of their abuse of humanity through basically slave labor... Is like proudly announcing you're a moron.

Which is exactly what the first commenter did... Stupidity knows no bounds.

Did they give her an iPad?

Agreed. Now, I'm not saying there aren't legit reasons for not buying Apple products.. But realistically, the list is rather small. And the horrible thing is that most people who bash Apple, and other tech companies for using Foxconn-type slave-ish camps.. Is that while they publically bash them.. They are not willing to pay the price to end it all.. which would be un-out sourcing everything.. Which would mean a massive price hike on basically all tech-related products.. And I dare anyone to find an activist that would be happy to pay out an incredible price hike(caused from a per worker wage hike from sub $200 a month to 1160 a month before taxes)

It would be a rather short list.

Do someone remember the heat Nike got during late 90's, early 00's because of poor working conditions in outsourced factories? I wonder when Apple will receive the same level of bombardment.

Would you do it for the approx. $250 a month that Foxconn was paying?

As much as TH readers love some Apple news bashing, let's not forget to spread the love around on this one. There are much more to blame here than just Apple, even if we use them as the scapegoat............

Its a shame that Foxconn make products for EVERYONE. Even though apple is put into negative light because of this, I'd prefer for someone to take all the blame and be forced to make changes that would benefit everyone.

Waiting to hear stories of robots cutting their own power cables!!! lol

Aside from that WHERE IS THE CHINESE GOV'T in all of this?!?! Point fingers at baddie 'Rich' countries yet China's Gov't no where to be seen. Main reason we do business in China is because they are buying all of our Debt, vicious cycle!!!

No way, the end would be worse - Skynet will be the result - Thinking all humans are apple sheeps or potential sheeps and thus needs to be weeded out for its pains producing the iGarbage!