Underpaid and Exhausted: The Human Cost of Your Kindle

Megalith

Megalith

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The Guardian has a story on the fatigued, disposable workforce assembling gadgets for Amazon. On top of poor working conditions, an investigation has found that thousands of staff who make its Echo smart speakers and Kindles in China were hired and paid illegally, breaking Chinese labor laws. Jeff Bezos, with his many billions, is criticized for turning a blind eye and accused of exploiting workers.

Ahead of them lies a 60-hour week, eight regular hours for five days, plus two more of overtime each day and another 10 on Saturday. They will be expected to hit tough targets and must ask permission to use the toilets. The overtime – up to 80 hours a month – is far in excess of the 36 hours stipulated in Chinese labor laws, but companies can and do seek exemptions and workers want the overtime, to boost their basic pay.
 
Heaven forbid us americans to have them work a "normal" work week and pay $20 more for our gadgets.
 
gee, what a surprise. I never could have guessed Amazon was an evil company :cautious:
 
This is the way all devices are made, and if you believe any differently then I have a bridge to sell you. Foxconn makes everything and they handle all the labor.
 
Well, some of these devices are high profit enough that they could build it here with no price change, only a profit cut... But can't have that..
 
One day China will wake up and institute more labor laws. We'll just find another country without the laws and move shop to that place. I'm not trying to make light of the situation, but that's a fact.
 
You shouldn't need labor laws to have a decent working condition. It should just be common decency.

With all these articles saying how bad the conditions are in China (and other third world countries) it sucks, but for every employee at Foxconn, as soon as someone quits or whatever, there are 100 more people waiting to work in this 'horrible conditions'.

So it's bad yes, but the alternative of not working at all, is worse.
 
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steakman1971 said:
One day China will wake up and institute more labor laws. We'll just find another country without the laws and move shop to that place. I'm not trying to make light of the situation, but that's a fact.
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This is why it has already been reported that Foxconn is exploring building factories in Africa.
 
1/2 bent said:
I thought 50+ hours a week was normal? I haven't work a 40 hr work week in 20 years.
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This.. Deal with the pay, quit moaning about the hours. 60 hours is minimum for me. This sounds like entitled Americans projecting on others.
 
hmmm ... I don't have Kindle, have no digital content at Amazon and only shop there when I really need an item to arrive on time (small stuff only, cables, etc)

drdoug99 said:
You shouldn't need labor laws to have a decent working condition. It should just be common decency.
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common decency is like unto common sense; both are in short supply these days
 
drdoug99 said:
You shouldn't need labor laws to have a decent working condition. It should just be common decency.
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Dude, we live in the country where it's against the law to help the homeless in some parts of it. There is nothing decent about that, and yet, here we are.

We need to fix our own country before we worry about someone else's, unfortunately, or we will never be in a position to truly help anyone else.
 
dwd999 said:
This is why it has already been reported that Foxconn is exploring building factories in Africa.
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I read somewhere Africa will be the next manufacturing nation once the Chinese open their eyes.
 
I love the way the leftist Guardian and the likeminded posters here bypass blaming Bezos and head straight for "the American consumer" as being responsible for this. Yes, indirectly, by the primary fault is Amazon is its CEO. Of course the liberal champion and owner of the Washington Post is going to be treated with kid gloves.
 
Willing to bet that alot of these workers take these jobs in part due to the extra hours being a thing. I imagine the base pay isn't great but its better than a lot of other choices due to the extra 20 hours.
 
GlowingGhoul said:
I love the way the leftist Guardian and the likeminded posters here bypass blaming Bezos and head straight for "the American consumer" as being responsible for this. Yes, indirectly, by the primary fault is Amazon is its CEO. Of course the liberal champion and owner of the Washington Post is going to be treated with kid gloves.
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I don't think it's the American consumer so much as the entire system. CEOs have a fiduciary responsibility to maximize profits for shareholders, so they have constant pressure to cut any corners they can. The point is this is just one product cherry picked out of thousands, if not millions. A vast portion of the economy runs on sweatshop labor. Clothes, shoes, produce, minerals etc. have borderline slave conditions as integral parts of their production. Of course Bezos is a dipshit, but if you got rid of him, all the same problems would still exist. This is just a drop in the ocean.
 
Personally I couldnt give less than a fuck about their horrible working conditions. They want to undercut practically the entire world for manufacturing jobs, then they take what comes to them.
 
Megalith said:
The Guardian has a story on the fatigued, disposable workforce assembling gadgets for EVERY MAJOR MOBILE MANUFACTURER. On top of poor working conditions, an investigation has found that thousands of staff who make iPhones, Galaxy smartphones, and every other smart device in China were hired and paid illegally, breaking Chinese labor laws.
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Fixed.

Seriously, every consumer should question the sourcing of their mobile devices. While I'm sure it affects other industries as well, something like a quarter of the world's smartphone production occurs in China. Anyone that thinks their device was more ethically produced than the next one, is probably delusional.
 
Dekoth-E- said:
This.. Deal with the pay, quit moaning about the hours. 60 hours is minimum for me. This sounds like entitled Americans projecting on others.
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Entitled Americans? The article was from a British newspaper. Americans work an average of 47 hours per week.
 
Ocellaris said:
Newsflash: Shit made in China is made in typical Chinese work conditions.
These are the dumbest fucking articles on the internet. At least Amazon found this on their own, shows they were looking into t.
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I have to say this; where I from originally (very rural south) if a full time job was offered with 40 hrs a week plus overtime pay I would have been all over it and counted myself lucky.
I had to leave that place, leave all family and friends and settle in a different state to have the opportunity for work. This is what you are SUPPOSE TO DO
if you want to be a contributing member of society. There is this twisted idea that WORK is somehow evil. And especially if that WORK is hard.
Nobody bothers to ask the people who are desperate for work what they think.
 
Dr. Righteous said:
I have to say this; where I from originally (very rural south) if a full time job was offered with 40 hrs a week plus overtime pay I would have been all over it and counted myself lucky.
I had to leave that place, leave all family and friends and settle in a different state to have the opportunity for work. This is what you are SUPPOSE TO DO
if you want to be a contributing member of society. There is this twisted idea that WORK is somehow evil. And especially if that WORK is hard.
Nobody bothers to ask the people who are desperate for work what they think.
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I've been there, working in the coal industry back in the days such a thing still existed, 6 12 hour shifts with an 8 hour shift on Sunday, for months at a time. going back to our normal 6 10's felt like a vacation, but damn, that sweet overtime.
 
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