patrick.net

You mean they had to work 60 hours a week for a job that pays much, much better than the median income for their nation? Heaven forbid....

lakermania says

You mean they had to work 60 hours a week for a job that pays much, much better than the median income for their nation? Heaven forbid....

Just remember, the more they get paid, the more you get paid. Slave labor always decreases the living standards of all members of the work force. The only people who benefit from slave labor are the slave owners. If you are not one of them, you're better off with no one being a slave.

Dan8267 says

Slave labor always decreases the living standards of all members of the work force.

Hummm.... Americans profit from slave labor by buying tons of cheap crap.

The reason why Americans accepted to offshore so many jobs is that they profited in the short term from lower prices. Then low prices were converted in a flood of liquidity so they could speculate on home prices. (Plus they were hoping someone else job would be lost).

They burned the furniture to keep their homes warm.

Dan8267 says

lakermania says

You mean they had to work 60 hours a week for a job that pays much, much better than the median income for their nation? Heaven forbid....

Just remember, the more they get paid, the more you get paid. Slave labor always decreases the living standards of all members of the work force. The only people who benefit from slave labor are the slave owners. If you are not one of them, you're better off with no one being a slave.

Well I never thought of myself being part of slave labor since I work at least 60 hours a week 9 months out of the year. But it's something to think about. 60 hours a week for guys like medical residents, truck drivers, and computer programmers is a walk in the park. Ive never heard of them being referred to as slave laborers. As long as you are getting paid much better than the median income, I don't see how 60 hours a week is "slave labor".

APOCALYPSEFUCKisShostikovitch says

lakermania says

I don't see how 60 hours a week is "slave labor".

When it's bench work and you don't get bathroom breaks and you can be fired for talking to the person next to you and a tank will show up if you and your colleagues try to organize a union.

This in a country with official Communist/Socialist Party in charge? With a single-payer medical system? With all land owned by the omniscient omnipotent and benevolent government-god? How can that be??? (tongue firmly in cheek of course).

tovarichpeter says

Apple still rips off workers

You mean Fox Comm workers...they are just another 3rd Party Vendor for the company. Just like the guy who fills the Soda/Coffee machine each morning.

This crazy fairness doctrine is what is killing doing business in the USA.

Of course Japanese, Koreans, European and Chinese competitors are just as happy seeing US business implode.

Still ripping off their customers too.

lakermania says

I don't see how 60 hours a week is "slave labor".

I've pulled in 70 hours a week for the past half decade. 80-90 hours a week when I was younger. But I was paid real money, not $17/day. That's what makes it "slave labor".

The world would be better off with workers keeping the lion's share of their productivity. Then they can afford a decent quality of life and buy other people's products and services and everyone will be able to produce.

Dan8267 says

lakermania says

I don't see how 60 hours a week is "slave labor".

I've pulled in 70 hours a week for the past half decade. 80-90 hours a week when I was younger. But I was paid real money, not $17/day. That's what makes it "slave labor".

The world would be better off with workers keeping the lion's share of their productivity. Then they can afford a decent quality of life and buy other people's products and services and everyone will be able to produce.

Their(Fox Comm) base salary was just raised to triple the minimum wage in the city of Shenzhen, which has the highest minimum wage in the entire nation including Bejing and Shanghai.

I didn't see this mentioned in the article.

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/china/iphone-manufacturer-foxconn-to-double-worker-salaries-by-2013/438

Dan8267 says

I've pulled in 70 hours a week for the past half decade. 80-90 hours a week when I was younger. But I was paid real money, not $17/day. That's what makes it "slave labor".

Despite this workload you've found the time to post nearly 10k comments and start 900 threads on PatNet. What's your secret?

Dan8267 says

I've pulled in 70 hours a week for the past half decade. 80-90 hours a week when I was younger. But I was paid real money, not $17/day. That's what makes it "slave labor".

How much were you paid per hour? I bet it's still "slave labor" compared to the bankster bonuses, by your definition. Labor price is relative and location specific. $17/day may well be good pay in the local economy, and a necessary step from the $0.70/day under sheer Socialist Planned Economy of two decades ago to $100/day at some point in the future.

The world would be better off with workers keeping the lion's share of their productivity. Then they can afford a decent quality of life and buy other people's products and services and everyone will be able to produce.

This kind of thinking is as silly as if someone said the world would be a better place if farmers eat most of what they produce. Do you not understand, if farmers eat most of what they produce, and workers keep most of what they output, there would be less people like you doing neither farming nor making physical widgets?

Dan8267 says

But I was paid real money, not $17/day. That's what makes it "slave labor".

Perhaps $17 per day is more reasonable in the "econ-system" to cover food, clothing and housing. Im sure none of their cloths carry a Nike or Gucci label
but come from the same factory that do carry those labels.

Face the facts that many actually want to work overtime in these factories. The same was true when
Apple actual made products in Santa Clara-Fremont back in the day. The factories were working
24/7 3 shifts a day... and work was a plenty for many in the middle class.

New Renter says

Dan8267 says

I've pulled in 70 hours a week for the past half decade. 80-90 hours a week when I was younger. But I was paid real money, not $17/day. That's what makes it "slave labor".

Despite this workload you've found the time to post nearly 10k comments and start 900 threads on PatNet. What's your secret?

I have no kids.

Reality says

Labor price is relative and location specific. $17/day may well be good pay in the local economy

OK maybe you're right and FoxConn is absolutely the most wonderful thing that ever happened to China. But then how do you explain this?

A suicide cluster in 2010 saw 18 workers throw themselves from the tops of the company's buildings, with 14 deaths.

To me, that says the workers' lot isn't that great. When you literally kill yourself because of your work, that's a red flag.

Dan8267 says

A suicide cluster in 2010 saw 18 workers throw themselves from the tops of the company's buildings, with 14 deaths.

To me, that says the workers' lot isn't that great. When you literally kill yourself because of your work, that's a red flag.

LOL! how many coke heads did we have just at Apple back in the 80s.. they were notorious for rampant drug use..

Technology is a great business to be in.. but its not easy, lots of pitfalls.

what you see in china is no different than what you saw here.. has nothing to do with Slave Wages

Everything is 3-4x faster and and need it now.. i mean really really fast world !

The Chinese government uses prison labor to manufacture goods, and they are supposed to be communist. You cannot hold Chinese companies to American standards because then you end up comparing apples to oranges. I'm sure Foxconn pays a lot better than local Chinese companies.

Dan8267 says

Reality says

Labor price is relative and location specific. $17/day may well be good pay in the local economy

OK maybe you're right and FoxConn is absolutely the most wonderful thing that ever happened to China. But then how do you explain this?

A suicide cluster in 2010 saw 18 workers throw themselves from the tops of the company's buildings, with 14 deaths.

To me, that says the workers' lot isn't that great. When you literally kill yourself because of your work, that's a red flag.

Suicide rate is high in Scandanavian countries. Suicide rate is among Hollywood actors/actresses. Do you think they all work under slave wages?

Reality says

Suicide rate is high in Scandanavian countries. Suicide rate is among Hollywood actors/actresses. Do you think they all work under slave wages?

Hey, if lying to yourself makes you feel better, who am I to disillusion you? But when you want to learn the truth, start with these videos. I prefer to take the red pill.

http://www.youtube.com/embed/yF8jUDzz5bE

http://www.youtube.com/embed/2Yjgivvh08Y

http://www.youtube.com/embed/eM4zrdOcmss

Dan8267 says

Hey, if lying to yourself makes you feel better, who am I to disillusion you? But when you want to learn the truth, start with these videos. I prefer to take the red pill.

You do realize those video links you provide are from their Communist government run labor camps, don't you? That's the alternative "job opportunity" for people there if you liberal retards manage to beat up privately run alternatives like FoxConn.

Your citation is about as silly as what the Eastern Bloc communist propaganda departments used to run photos of prison chain gangs in this country as examples of capitalistic exploitation of workers in this country . . . when the prison was a government institution.

Reality says

You do realize those video links you provide are from their Communist government run labor camps, don't you? That's the alternative "job opportunity" for people there if you liberal retards manage to beat up privately run alternatives like FoxConn.

The later two are, the first is not. The point remains that both government and business use effective slave labor.

And you obviously did not watch even a small part of the first video to not know this. Nor did you have enough time since the posting to watch the whole thing.

You should really watch it.

These videos demonstrate that where labor is cheap, life is cheap.

Dan8267 says

The later two are, the first is not. The point remains that both government and business use effective slave labor.

You obviously do not understand the difference between government vs. business. The government-run labor camps meant the inmates could not leave. The workers at the business can leave! They stay only because the business pay them more than they can get elsewhere or the work is less stressful.

And you obviously did not watch even a small part of the first video to not know this. Nor did you have enough time since the posting to watch the whole thing.

I have seen the government labor camp videos. I did not expect you to be so confused as to mix the government labor camp vs. business run factories.

Dan8267 says

You should really watch it.

I already watched the video about their government run labor camps.

These videos demonstrate that where labor is cheap, life is cheap.

No kidding. Labor and life are cheap there because they had economically ignorant socialists like you running their country for half a century. Labor and life were even cheaper before their market reforms started. To put in exact terms, the average workers there made less than $0.70/day there 30 years ago vs. $17.00/day now at FoxConn.

Reality says

You obviously do not understand the difference between government vs. business.

As I stated, the first video is not a government labor camp, it's a private company. Pay attention.

Reality says

Dan8267 says

You should really watch it.

I already watched the video about their government run labor camps.

If you are too lazy to even watch a short documentary on Chinese labor, than your opinion on the subject matter does not matter.

And if you're bitching that it's not about FoxConn specifically, then watch this video.

http://www.youtube.com/embed/F03kFZvdUjE

Opinions based on willful ignorance carry no weight.

Reality says

Labor and life are cheap there because they had economically ignorant socialists like you running their country for half a century.

The fact that you even think that I'm a socialist, a term I doubt you can define properly without looking it up, shows how distorted your world view is. I'm about as much of a socialist as Ted Nugent is a vegan. Furthermore, if you think that the Chinese government is socialistic, you don't know jack shit. The Chinese government is highly capitalistic and exploits workers. It's neither socialistic nor communistic in anything but name.