Foxconn: Apple Products Are Difficult To Build

[NuclearShadow]

[citation][nom]macewrox[/nom]Yes. And now that laws are set for all of those sorts of problems (Because of unions) their cause is moot.They have no reason to exist right now except for the blue collar worker's greed. If you want to make $32 an hour, go to college, or learn a real trade or profession.[/citation]


There is a major problem with what you saying. First would be that state laws differ not all states have the worker friendly laws that they should. Secondly you are being a bit too comfortable, what can be given can be taken away. If every union in America disbanded right now there would be no united force to try to resist any unfair changes. With the current most powerful influential group on our government being corporations and their lobbyists do you really think worker rights are secure if people simply begin to look the other way?

Imagining this scenario I can see the rights of the common worker falling like dominoes in a line. Now I have workers under me, for most of them their job just requires some training and nothing special. Do you trust me to do the right thing and pay them a living wage?
Would it be my choice even? I can easily be ordered to and simply replace the ones that quit
because of it. Fact is some desperate person will take the job no matter how little it pays or how they are treated.

Don't think for a second that laws are ironclad and that laws on your side are secure and aren't going to change. While I am not for unions making outrageous demands without them it wouldn't take long for our work force to resemble more like China. If you honestly don't believe that our companies would do such a thing if they could here then why are they willing to move and do it there?

 

[cookoy]

Nowhere does it say the Chinese cannot build them (Apple products) - only that they are very difficult to build. And i would give Foxconn some credit for being able to build them given that they have less skilled workers.

 

[dalethepcman]

[citation][nom]f-14[/nom].you want to fix america:end nafta with mexico and PNTR with china.http/www.epi.org/publications/en [...] ntr_china/[/citation]

Amen brother, you might as well abolish the Fed while your at it!

 

[blurr91]

[citation][nom]The Greater Good[/nom]I really wish manufacturing jobs would come back to the US. Yes, things would cost more (the only downside... but jobs would be created meaning more tax revenue and people spending their paychecks on goods and services. That leads to more jobs being created and thus continuing the process.[/citation]

So everyone's living standards suffer to support a few jobs (probably unionized too)? Thanks but no thanks. Trade is good. Offshoring jobs is good. They keep us on our toes to innovate rather than sit on our asses like what American automobile industry did in the 1960s and 1970s.

 

[fulle]

[citation][nom]blurr91[/nom]So everyone's living standards suffer to support a few jobs (probably unionized too)? Thanks but no thanks. Trade is good. Offshoring jobs is good. They keep us on our toes to innovate rather than sit on our asses like what American automobile industry did in the 1960s and 1970s.[/citation]

Offshoring is good? So... instead of our money going back to people in our own country, its sent mostly into the hands of rich business owners and foreign labor... leaving our middle class no money. The rich get richer, and the middle class of competing countries grow stronger, and more competitive... leading to more offshoring, our middle class getting even more poor, and our rich still being rich... until there's no middle class at all and its just the tiny rich elite population, and a jobless peasant class that will eventually revolt in violence if a police state isn't formed.... by you know, increased military spending, systematic removal of rights, loss of privacy, gradual increased military presence in the name of national security... oh wait... hold on while I cry as sheep like you smile contented while corporate pigs rape our country..

The current state of things is that we have big companies making new employees watch long anti-union propaganda videos, right before handing them pamphlets on how to apply for welfare, medicaid, food stamps, etc. Our unskilled workers are being exploited, and its the tax payer who flips the bill. On the skilled side of things, don't worry, they're getting screwed by H1bs undercutting their pay by 30-40%, and offshoring. Meanwhile only the tiny elite rich population benefits, while everything else goes to hell.

And we're still not mad.

 

[Guest]

People blasting unions: You're idiots, there's nothing wrong with both sides having negotiating power, trickle down economics is a sham. Management doesn't have to take whatever deal the union offers. Believe it or not, you actually get what you pay for, anybody that thinks China is first-class at manufacturing, or that tech support in India is "just as good", is clearly an clueless executive who has no problem thinking his $300k/yr salary is justified....

3rd world people blasting America's high wages: You're also idiots, do the math and see what kind of hobo lifestyle you could live off $20 a day in America. If your country wasn't so decrepit, maybe your real estate would be valuable, and you too could have the privilege of paying $1000-2000USD rent every month.

Yours Truly,
$40/hr IT professional

 

[Humans think]

Factory workers in BMW, Germany get about $33 just so u know. And they keep operating factories in Germany and other places in the world such as in the USA.

So as u can see it is not the salaries (about the same) and not the unions (also exist in Germany), that through GM out of business. There are certain things that lead to that including:
1) inferior product quality by US automaker industry
2) Prick executives without vision and fat bonuses
3) the total lack of a socialist-like umbrella for healthcare leading to over bloated healthcare cost falling in the responsibility of companies due to lack of state support + the most expensive private healthcare services in the world.

And there is a difference between a socialist, a Marxist and a realist. If u don't identify and learn from your mistakes you will be a dinosaur, and dinosaurs get extinct.

And one last thing @macewrox, in Germany they actually respect every job more or less. It is acceptable to make a respectable living out of work with your hands. And actually they get trained and educated to get mundane tasks done better and be proud of themselves...

A sidenote: I am not even German, just so happens i look outside my fish bowl...

 

[legacy7955]

The BOTTOM LINE IS THAT THE GREEDY INCOMPETENT US MANAGEMENT EXECUTIVES HAVE BEEN THE ROOT CAUSE OF MOST BUSINESS RELATED PROBLEMS IN THE US.

I say farm out the executive jobs the thought that there Ivory Tower ghouls make the money they do usually 500-1000 times that of the average employee is just ludicrous.
OF COURSE the BoD are the execs buddies..they are all in bed together greasing each others palms and giving each other huge compensation packages EVEN WHEN THEY TRASH THE BUSINESS!

 

[Guest]

Everything that Apple makes is top notch, and is way better than anything else. Nothing on this planet beats anything that Apple makes. Anyone who talks bad about Apple is just jealous. There is no other explanation, and nothing further needs to be said. Apple is hands down the very best.

 

[bebangs]

people die in building apple products.

 

[belardo]

[citation][nom]macewrox[/nom]Unless we get rid of unions for good, business will never bring manufacturing jobs back to the USA. Companies are not going to pay people $32 an hour plus health benefits to work an assembly line job.Unions had their uses back in the days of big business, but now they're killing industry.[/citation]

Yeah! We need to throw out ALL workers rights, that way... we can have a work force where people like YOU can work 12 hours a day for $20, just like in China or India. Yeah, get paid less than the 16yr old at McDonalds.

Back in the 80s, we paid thousands of our computers and they were built in the USA. Nowadays, they are very very cheap... like much of the cheap-priced goods we buy from WalMart.

Hey, I saw an iPod-Nano clone selling for $20... somehow, I don't think it'll be as well built as a real Apple. They must pay those employees $10 a day.

American companies ARE making profits, but the amount they pay their employees is crap.

The neoCons talk about "the good ole days"?! Really? True, it was good when the MAN could work an 8~10hr day job, pay for his home and his kids schooling and the wife can stay home take care of the house-hold. But many in the USA have BOTH parents working to pay bills.

In the GOOD OLE days of the 50s, tax rates on the RICH was about 75%.

 

[eddieroolz]

166 million iPhones in 2015 eh? That would require the entire population of Japan + Canada to drop all their previous phones, and rush out to buy the iPhone.

Not happening, even on a global scale. Sorry.

 

[The Greater Good]

[citation][nom]alidan[/nom]the iphone costs 27$ to assemble, and is 180 in parts alone, correct? how much more would it cost to assemble in america, on a per phone basis? 10-20$ more? apple sells the cheapest ones at what 400-500$they could eat the cost if they wanted to and still pull a massive profit, and on top of that, get tremendous amounts of pr for bringing back american manufacturing. but they probably cant police a factory in america like they can in china. if you want it made good they will make it good, if you want it cheap they will cut corners. and its a fact that most people outsource to china to cut a corner. actually, an assembly line job is more like 10-15$ an hour. and benefits very from company to company. unions suck, but its not a black and white issue, especially considering that id a operation could pay you less than minimum wage, they would, they only pay you more when competition will pay you more too. some jobs, like electricians DESERVE more money because of how inherently dangerous that job is and how good it needs to be done. and good teachers also deserve a hell of allot more than they get. i PERSONALLY research if a product is good or not before i buy them. like my sd card, kingston japan makes higher quality cards than any other section, so i bought mine from there. i also have some china made things but they are all good products. generic china made things, do tend to break sooner than anywhere else though, because they do cut corners. if those numbers were anywhere near close, than i would be with corporate side, but they arent. at most it would cost another 20-40$ an ipod/padno.... you wouldn't. you would work cheaper, but not butt@#$@ cheaper. people who work non union tend to make more money than union, however if they get benefits and job security is another question altogether. that couldnt have anything to do with the recession, and the fact cars are made so good that they can last 20+ years without any SERIOUS (costs more then buying a new car) money needing to be put into them. and those per hours you quoted, aren't assembly line hour wages, those are electrician wages. and death insurance, even without union, a wrongfull death could easily cost more than the insurance. made in america doesnt mean anything when you charge such a high premium for it and it a well made foreign car can be built as good and sold cheaper (obscenely cheaper, like if unions didn't exist, and we @#$@ emploies on pay, they still wouldn't be cheaper) don't non union jobs also pay minimum wage, and force you to work harder than most union jobs, because they can? also didnt some non union emplyers not pay overtime, while forcing emploies to work 80 hour shifts (ea a few years back, mcdonalds today, and also walmart has had these problems). unions force corpreate greed back. and so you know what i mean about corporate greed, mcdonalds gave out such big bonuses one year to the hq emploies, that if they shared the wealth, they could have more than doubled what people who work there are payed. (as in in the 30-40$ range) and they get away with that crap because we preceve the people working there are kids (what sick @$#^ that we think its ok to @$#% kids over on jobs) when most of the people working there are adults who have no other options. also, they forced unpayed overtime on people durring rush hours, and if you left like you are legally allowed to, you can kiss your job good by because they will find someone who would work unpayed to keep the job. no, but yes at the same time, the made in america lable would be enough for apple to justify a price hike even if they still would pull a profit. agree to pay us this or we strike...you kind of see why they payed that much, but like i said, there is no why that assembly line prices. wage payer should have no power once they go corporate, look at what most corporations do and you can see why.[/citation]

Sadly, I think you have a valid point.

 

[back_by_demand]

[citation][nom]Screw_China[/nom]If the Chinese can't make them, then close the factory and open one in America[/citation]
And watch the price double as American workers demand higher wages, healthcare, breaks, pensions, etc.
Not likely, the whole western world is built on the backs of poor foreigners and has been for the last 500 years.

 

[blackened144]

[citation][nom]Belardo[/nom]Yeah! We need to throw out ALL workers rights, that way... we can have a work force where people like YOU can work 12 hours a day for $20, just like in China or India.[/citation]

The beginning of your rant would make more sense if if was the truth. First off, no one is saying anything about throwing away all workers rights.. Getting rid of unions is not the same thing.. There was a time when unions fought for good things.. Ending child labor.. Being forced to work in unsafe conditions like coal miners.. But all those things are now codified in employment law.. We have agencies like OSHA making sure that every American works in a relatively safe workplace.. We have minimum wage laws to ensure that now one works a full 8hr day and only takes home $20.. Unions now are fighting for things that kill entire industries.. My main problem with them is that they are NEVER satisfied with the status quo.. They are always fighting for more for the union members.. First they are fighting for higher wages.. When they get that, they begin fighting for better medical benefits.. When they get that they are fighting for shorter work weeks.. When they get that they are fighting for better retirement benefits.. Once they get all that, they go back to fighter for even higher wages.. Then fighting for even more medical benefits.. They are never satisfied..

 

[squidz66]

The people who are likely to whinge about 'Unions ruining the economy' are most likely, the same people who profited on the very fact that unions gave the average person an ability to spend!

 

[jungleboogiemonster]

[citation][nom]macewrox[/nom]Unless we get rid of unions for good, business will never bring manufacturing jobs back to the USA. Companies are not going to pay people $32 an hour plus health benefits to work an assembly line job.Unions had their uses back in the days of big business, but now they're killing industry.[/citation]

China has unions. In fact it has the largest union in the world.

 

[belardo]

Funny... the GOP are talking about killing Minimum Wage. And the attacks on unions (which am not for or against) is about elections politics, not about money issues as they are not going to save the state a dime.

M-Bachmann (dingbat) "Literally, if we took away the minimum wage; conceivably it was gone, we could potentially virtually wipe out unemployment completely because we would be able to offer jobs at whatever level."

Really how? So like if most of the currently unemployed were working at 50-cents an hour, at least they would have jobs and at the end of the day, have enough money to buy a taco or two to take home to their cardboard box they call home.

Child labor Laws? You are not keeping up. In the state of Maine... Check this out.
1) Min. wage for those under 18 is LOWER (like $2.25 per hour lower).
2) After 6 months of working, the child must be upgraded to standard min.wage.

A) An adult who could use that $7.50 per hour job more than a kid, is now competing harder to say... pay his rent.
B) When the kid has his 180 days, he could legally be "let go" (fired) and replaced with another kid... being paid at $5.25 per hour.

The new law says they can work 24hrs a week now.
A fast-food joint would save about $55 a week per kid. X 4 kids X 4 weeks = $880 or more.
And since they are not "full time" employees, no health insurance.

Why you want to be a slave?

 

[fir_ser]

Apple products are definitely difficult to produce, and this is one reason why they are so expensive.