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Subscribe to RSSReports early Monday from China suggest that a mass disturbance or riots may have broken out at a Foxconn factory in the Chinese city of Taiyuan.
It is still unclear what exactly happened, but posts on China’s popular twitter-like service, Weibo, from users in the area show photographs and video of large numbers of police in and around the factory – many in riot gear – blocking off throngs of people.
Other photos show debris strewn around the Foxconn compound and in one case, an overturned guard tower.
According to popular tech blog engadget, the disturbance kicked off after Foxconn security guards allegedly hit a worker around 10 p.m. on Sunday.
Censors in China have reportedly already started deleting pictures from the scene.
This is not the first time that Foxconn has had problems with its Taiyuan facility, which is reportedly responsible for the fabrication of the back plate of the immensely popular new iPhone 5. In March, strikes broke out there after workers did not receive a pay raise they had reportedly been promised.
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Meanwhile, Foxconn’s Chengdu plant in Sichuan province also has dealt with riots. In June, scores of Foxconn workers there got into a fight with a local restaurant owner that had to be broken up by police.
Foxconn is the Taiwanese electronics manufacturer responsible for much of the current production and assembly of Apple’s popular line of products as well as a wide variety of popular tech toys ranging from laptops to gaming consoles.
But Foxconn has been under fire for years for its tough working conditions, including long hours, low wages and strict rules on representation. The company has also dealt with a string of suicides at its plants across China, which led to the company in 2010 installing anti-jump nets to prevent more suicide attempts.
The company has taken steps to improve working conditions in its factories by reducing work hours and raising wages for its front-line workers.
Still, perhaps wary of the continued negative publicity that has plagued one of its primary manufacturers over the years, Apple recently took steps to diversify its portfolio of producers, recently awarding much of the manufacturing of its new iteration of the iPad to another Taiwanese company, Pegatron.
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Do we want 1.5 Billion Customers or 1.5 Billion Enemies?
What are the costs of either option?
That is the Question.
The other Question is when is Globalization going to float all Boats and not just a few?
How long is that going to take and what are the Consequences if it doesn't start happening soon?
What if it never happens?
All of us here in the US, Europe, the Americas, etc who have enjoyed relatively cheap electronics now for decades? If we'd known way back when, what the real cost of electronics for the rest of the world that came out of China, would we have ever bought even our first "electronic device?" I'd hope that we'd never have gone beyond that one or the 2nd one. A real view decades ago of what those workers were enduring to get us our "$89.95" brand new phone, this thingy, that thingy, would we really have been sucked into this vortex of mega multi-corporation, multi-national greed for cheap products and huge profit margins? I'd like to say no. I'm one of those people who feel guilty for having my MacBook Pro, and am very comfortable having my "stupid phone" that I can barely use. The MacBook Pro? Because it is truly very intuitive and easy to use. So, maybe, if ALL those companies, including APPLE, had to pay a lot more to their employees, and MAYBE, might even move that manufacturing back to the US??? Yeah, I'd pay the price...and guess what, there wouldn't be a wonderful new magical upgrade every 20 minutes...those upgrades would be "bundled" and would occur once a year/every 18 months, and the upgrade that would include ALL of the bells and whistles and WOULD NOT require everyone to buy a new charger cord for every frickin' thing they owned?? Then, maybe, just maybe, all the upgrades and the decent/human pay and living conditions/factory conditions for the manufacturers would be worth it. Now, we, all of us who use these electronics are doing it by walking, with hob nailed boots on, over the employees who give these "marvelous new things" to us.....seriously, just how 'effing quick, complete, ultra whoo ha, marvelous whatchamicallit thing do we, as human beings really need. Just how far, and how long are we in the allegedly "civilized world" willing to walk over others for a "great deal." Not so much until the Chinese factory workers are treated with dignity and a decent living wage. APPLE, SAMSUNG, VERIZON, et al the electronic companies? You should be ashamed. And if any of you respond that "they're willing to work for those wages?" Shame on you! You're willing to sell your fellow human being into a situation a few notches above slavery for your convenience? Again, SHAME on you.
When will Trickle Down become true because what we and the world really have is Trickle Up on a Grand Scale.
The Mitt Romneys of the World and their Lavish Lifestyles and Unheard of Wealth have an unseen cost.
Mere Mortals can't wait around much longer for Tinkle Down to become truly Trickle Down. The Damage is done and the climb out of the hole becomes more and more insurmountable.
Americans and the people all over the world owe a profound gratitude to China for making comsumer products at prices that the world can afford.
In making the products, Chinese workers endure personal hardships and the monotanous nature of the works and put up with the pollusion arising from the manufacturing processs. The American people reap the benefit from Chinese workers' sacrifice and yet some of them have the propensity to knock Chinese workers. They are sour losers indeed.
you think they work like they do because they are company people looking to make the company better or do it for the rice they get to live.
don't those little boys and girls understand if they waste their time using the bathroom, sleeping or eating our Iphones won't get finished and one of Mr. Romney's fundraiser pal's won't get a multimiliion dollar bonus. Those lazy Chinese kids are just as bad as our 47%!!!
I love the argument that "It's not JUST Apple products made at these factories". Does it matter?
It's like saying, Hitler didn't kill JUST Jews in the concentration camps.
It's a weak argument and one that only guilty people make to justify their decisions. iphones are made by slave labour and child labour PERIOD. Doesn't matter if those same people also make chopsticks.
Surely you just didnt compare Chinese factories to the holocaust. Gimme a break. You libtards are morons
You can only put so many rats in a cage before they start eating each other.
It's quite simple, you want to get corperations to stop using cheap labour, thens top pushing them to make profit at all costs. As long as everyone is pushing to get ahead of everyone else rather than be happy with what they have this is exactly what you end up with as you crawl over each other to try to get ahead.
"an overturned guard tower"
---
Is this a really factory or a concentration camp?
Stories like this is why only buy "Mandarin Safe" phones. I don't want to contribute to the suffering.
Can't Apple use robots in American factories? They don't riot.
Kill all the protestors! They have replacement workers. The US cannot afford to have communist production slow down. Walmart shoppers will become hostile without their daily dose of trash. The US could send the scab NFL zebras over to make the correct call.
Those people live like "cattle" in those "dormatories". You want an eye opening experience? Go to YouTube and search "Walmart- The high cost of LOW prices" There you'll see just what I spoke of.
Why are people complaining about slave labor in china, that is the new business model for America. No minimum wage, no Unions, no labor laws, child labor, No pensions, no health care, no social security. Vote romney/ryan and that's what you will get.
moron
hahaha the slaves are getting restless. If they had guns they would be getting decent pay, benefits and working conditions. But when you don't own guns ... you are a slave. Second Amendment is a very good thing for freedom.
Collective bargaining is much preferred to guns and violence.
Foxconn is exactly what Romney and the Republican Cartel want for the United States of America, slave labor!
You're a moron
Not another 1st world problem,,,does this mean my Iphone will be delay oh woe is me woe is me at least there is a nice trailer on Islam on You-Tube that I can watch and those Dutch funny pages are a hoot... But starbucks will never run out of coffee so we are Bless in the US So bless
I like my iPhone and I couldnt care two@!$%#s if it was made by 10 year old girls on low salary. libtards can suckit!
I'm surprised the libs in this thread aren't outraged by the methaphorical bonanza that the name of the "oppressive" company represents: "Fox" as in news, and "Conn" as in "conservative," with a bunus maning of "cons."
Guard towers? Worker dormitories? Riots? Sounds like slave labor to me. So, rush right out and buy your new i phone and I really hope that you enjoy it!
You people seem to forget that they are Communists. These people are not there by choice. They are forced to work there by a Communist Regime, exactly like what Obama will do to you one day when it all falls down.
There is no profit/loss/wages at any point in this equation. They have "students" forced to work there, and if they don't finish their schooling, they are punished.
This has nothing to do with capitalism. If there were capitalist, the people working there would want to work there. You really don't have a clue do you. It seems every 50-60 years, you numbnuts need to be reminded what Socialism and Communism means in the form of a mass genocide and world war. Very stupid people you are.
"To become rich is glorious." Official declaration:The Communist Party of the Socialist Republic of China. It does not matter whether you live in a Democratic, Fascist, Communist or any other kind of social political system...Capitalists are the same all over the world and don't give two sh!ts about patriotism, civil liberties or individual happiness. These are merely tools of restraint or incentive for people who do all of the work for the benefit of the few. Confused yet? That's the point.
Close to pricing ourselves out of all jobs. Good thing wheat can't go on strike. Did cotton? Cut government in half. Stop letting the Secretary of Justice be a political appointee.
Apple = Over-hyped and overpriced proprietary plastic
Well I was thinking of something different to what I see in this article. What about transgenders being allowed to serve in the US military openly and welcome? I mean with the Oslo massacre and the okay for gays and lesbians being able to serve open on the same day the question of transgender is open. I am thinking of some sort of attack on American soil by China or something in China happening or in the Far East that may allow transgender to serve openly and be allowed to apply and join the US military on the same day too. This may be our future!!!