Apple's factory conditions

A recent "New York Times" article detailed why contractors to Apple have
very poor employee safety records -- Apple constantly pressures them to do
more with less. Gee, why am I not surprised that these greedy bastards
would do this.

~~
In China, Human Costs Are Built Into an iPad
...

In January 2010, workers at a Chinese factory owned by Wintek, an Apple
manufacturing partner, went on strike over a variety of issues, including
widespread rumors that workers were being exposed to toxins.
Investigations by news organizations revealed that over a hundred
employees had been injured by n-hexane, a toxic chemical that can cause
nerve damage and paralysis.

Employees said they had been ordered to use n-hexane to clean iPhone
screens because it evaporated almost three times as fast as rubbing
alcohol. Faster evaporation meant workers could clean more screens each
minute.

Apple commented on the Wintek injuries a year later. In its supplier
responsibility report, Apple said it had “required Wintek to stop using n-
hexane” and that “Apple has verified that all affected workers have been
treated successfully, and we continue to monitor their medical reports
until full recuperation.” Apple also said it required Wintek to fix the
ventilation system.

That same month, a New York Times reporter interviewed a dozen injured
Wintek workers who said they had never been contacted by Apple or its
intermediaries, and that Wintek had pressured them to resign and take cash
settlements that would absolve the company of liability. After those
interviews, Wintek pledged to provide more compensation to the injured
workers and Apple sent a representative to speak with some of them.

Six months later, trade publications reported that Apple significantly cut
prices paid to Wintek.

“You can set all the rules you want, but they’re meaningless if you don’t
give suppliers enough profit to treat workers well,” said one former Apple
executive with firsthand knowledge of the supplier responsibility group.
“If you squeeze margins, you’re forcing them to cut safety.”
...

Many major technology companies have worked with factories where
conditions are troubling. However, independent monitors and suppliers say
some act differently. Executives at multiple suppliers, in interviews,
said that Hewlett-Packard and others allowed them slightly more profits
and other allowances if they were used to improve worker conditions.

“Our suppliers are very open with us,” said Zoe McMahon, an executive in
Hewlett-Packard’s supply chain social and environmental responsibility
program. “They let us know when they are struggling to meet our
expectations, and that influences our decisions.”
...

People like Ms. White of Harvard say that until consumers demand better
conditions in overseas factories — as they did for companies like Nike and
Gap, which today have overhauled conditions among suppliers — or
regulators act, there is little impetus for radical change. Some Apple
insiders agree.

“You can either manufacture in comfortable, worker-friendly factories, or
you can reinvent the product every year, and make it better and faster and
cheaper, which requires factories that seem harsh by American standards,”
said a current Apple executive.

“And right now, customers care more about a new iPhone than working
conditions in China.”
~~
http://tinyurl.com/7qdnux9

Be proud, iCultists, be very proud.

RonB
Registered Linux User #498581
CentOS 5.7 or VectorLinux Deluxe 6.0