Petition Targeting Apple's Factory Conditions Reaches 163K+, page 1
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Topic started on 3-2-2012 @ 10:41 AM by v1rtu0s0
Seemingly since the release of its 2012 Supplier Responsibility Progress Report, Apple has come under fire for the working conditions in manufacturing partner Foxconn's Chinese plants. Outfits such as the New York Times, CBS News, and This American Life have offered up lengthy accounts, the former detailing a "rash of suicide attempts" at Foxconn's Shenzhen factory. Heck, we've even covered a few Foxconn topics here at Tom's, and Conan O'Brien has even given his comical spin on a solution Apple should provide.


"Here's the thing: you're Apple," he wrote in the petition. "You're supposed to think different. I want to continue to use and love the products you make, because they're changing the world, and have already changed my life. But I also want to know that when I buy products from you, it's not at the cost of horrible human suffering."



It think Mark is echoing the sentiments of most Americans when he calls for action against Apple's business practices. I'm not suggesting Apple is the only guilty party when it comes to cheap labor, but they are a fair target to make an example out of considering they are 'arguably' the most profitable company in the world.

I've never been a fan of Apple myself for totally different reasons, like the fact their hardware is WAY overpriced. However, when I take this into account it makes you question WHY it's so overpriced when they are getting dirt cheap labor and competitors are churning out superior products for a fraction of the price.

This issue isn't just about Apple or the price of electronics. It's a fundemental question about humanity and what we are willing to accept when it comes to creating luxury products that improve our quality of life at the cost of exploiting others.




(Source)
edit on 3-2-2012 by v1rtu0s0 because: (no reason given)



reply posted on 3-2-2012 @ 11:11 AM by SaturnFX
Most major electronics are actually made in this plant (if mem serves right) from the apple ipads, to laptops, blackberrys, etc etc etc...
But ya, all of apples manufacturing is done by them.

Here is the secret:

When an Apple team visited, the Chinese plant’s owners were already constructing a new wing. “This is in case you give us the contract,” the manager said, according to a former Apple executive. The Chinese government had agreed to underwrite costs for numerous industries, and those subsidies had trickled down to the glass-cutting factory. It had a warehouse filled with glass samples available to Apple, free of charge. The owners made engineers available at almost no cost. They had built on-site dormitories so employees would be available 24 hours a day.


This sold Apple on pretty much everything manufacturing to go there.
The government basically fuels the industry there. Here in America, its not the governments job to help out industry in such a direct way..which although one can argue is a good thing, will also be the demise of our industry all together when faced with nations that have no such principled stance.

How do you compete with that?
Well, straight from Steve Job's mouth:
Why can’t that work come home? Mr. Obama asked.

Mr. Jobs’s reply was unambiguous. “Those jobs aren’t coming back,” he said, according to another dinner guest.

No..they aren't coming back. You simply cannot compete with the model..the government we have is not structured the same way, no matter who is in charge..the core rules of the constitution is now hostile towards manufacturing when you compare it to places like foxconn/china and the like.

What is the solution?
There is no solutions...well, there is actually. You literally declare war on the corporations. You slap on tariffs on imports to eliminate any money saved by using overseas factory in regards to selling to America, give big breaks to corporations that use exclusively american (or west in general) factorys and workers, and deal with the fact that some products will go up in price here.

But we won't do that, because our politicians are fully in the pockets of corporate entities making sure such things do not occur.


reply posted on 3-2-2012 @ 04:55 PM by v1rtu0s0
reply to post by SaturnFX


So the solution is to place tariff's on corporations for importing goods...

This system makes corporations very rich, and the 1% at the top of the corporation very rich, but what about everyone else?

A tarrif tax would be taken by the government, and while they are horrible at allocating this money... it may still be more useful than to make millionaires billionaires...


The point isn't really how to fix it, it's to admit that it's occuring and then to ask if it's something we should accept as human beings..... only then would we worry about fixing it...


reply posted on 3-2-2012 @ 09:17 PM by v1rtu0s0
reply to post by SaturnFX


I agree, bro. Perhaps I should change the title to: Important petition reaches 2 views on ATS.
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