When Mr. Heidkamp was talking in class the other day about how smart phones are supposed to represent the amount of progress we have made (mostly in technology), yet the practices take us all the way back to colonization times I couldn't help but explore this information a little bit deeper.
The video shown in class described the awful conditions that humans in the Congo had to go through to supply an immense amount of labor that King Leopold II required to create his riches. The work was long, difficult and strenuous labor that, if not completed correctly, had appalling punishments.
Yet, how far have we really come since this time? I looked into what exactly goes into making Apple's iPhone -- a common device for most Americans -- and found some of these labor conditions to be strangely similar to previous times. According to The Week, Foxconn is Apple's labor factory located in China that supplies Apple with the majority of its products. The average wage of workers in the factory is only $2.18 an hour, and new employees are only paid $1.78 an hour. For as much as Apple makes a year it seems insane that the people that are spending hours each day to create these devices are receiving such little pay.
Additionally, the average shift of Foxconn workers is 12 hours. Many of these employees also live on site in dorms, paying $17.50 a month to share a dorm with 5 to 7 others. So let's say an employee works five days a week for 12 hours a day and receives $2.18 an hour. That comes to an income of $523.20 a month and $6, 278.40 a year.
Let's subtract what it would cost a month to live on site. This would mean they would only have a profit of $6,068.40 a year.
According to Glassdoor a store employee specialist for Apple makes an average of $15 an hour. This would mean if they're working the same hours as Foxconn's workers they would be making $3,600 a month and $43,200 a year, seven times the amount that a Foxconn worker makes.
Not only is the pay extremely low, but the conditions aren't any better. It takes 24 hours to make a single iPhone, along with the assistance of 141 steps. According to one worker of Foxconn, "We are extremely tired, with tremendous pressure. We work faster even than the machines." The work is tedious, time-consuming, and all for the profit of Apple rather than the employees.
Hypocritically, I have an iPhone and probably couldn't live without it. Although smart phones represent the technological advances that have been made across the world I strongly feel that the conditions need to be reconsidered. It is absolutely insane that Apple is making so much money from their products when their laborers are not even making a living. The profit from each iPhone is on average $650, when sold for $199. I find it absolutely ridiculous that Apple allows all this money to go straight into their account when innocent people are struggling to live amidst creating these products.
How do you feel about this information?
I enjoyed this post Katelyn because it puts modern technology in perspective. I agree that is outrageous how disproportionate the pay is between the Apple Corporation and the workers who are behind the company's profit. Although I too rely heavily on my phone, I think it is important to face the injustice, no matter how uncomfortable or hard it is to.
ReplyDeleteThis is insane! I don't remember when I heard this information, but I heard maybe a year or two ago I heard that Apple is worth more than the country of Poland. I'm pretty sure that they could afford to pay their Foxconn workers a lot more than they are currently making. Thank you for bringing this to my attention, I wasn't aware that this was happening.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your post Katelyn. Its crazy how much they pay these workers to make such expensive phones. This really connects back to what we learned yesterday in class. It really puts huge corporations into the mid of the public eye because I'm sure other corporations do the same.
ReplyDeleteI have to admit this isn't something I've thought about. A lot of people assume that iPhones are just made by machines, but the fact of the matter is that many electronics are primarily made by hand. As I read in a National Geographic article on the matter, companies will avoid using machines in production wherever they can because machines cost more than hiring employees.
ReplyDeleteKatelyn, your post is worrying me about my phone! These numbers are absurd, and I do not understand why the workers get paid so little when Apple literally has so much money. It's insane to think about how much work went into out phones, and how little those workers got for it.
ReplyDeleteWow. Never thought about this, but I'm glad I know now. I read this and now I'm just looking at my phone like it's evil.
ReplyDeleteGood topic choice! I had no idea how insane those numbers are. It's terrible how little giant companies care about the people who make their products possible. Of all companies, Apple does not need to be hoarding every cent it makes. It can definitely afford to pay Foxconn workers better salaries.
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