3 Thoughts on Foxconn

A few thoughts on Foxconn in the wake of last night’s Fair Labor Association report:

1. Not that Mike Daisey feels much better today, but the excessive overtime was clearly way out of whack with Chinese law.

2. The FLA head was very clear in stating that Foxconn’s assembly lines are on par with any in the world. We knew that. There’s only so many placement machines and screen printers out there. Don’t let that obscure the larger picture, which was the dehumanization of employees. One quote that jumps out: “We’ve got to make sure people can opt out and if they do feel that they’ve suffered any kind of incriminations as a result, that they can complain, and that complaint will be handled fairly.”

3. The Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition, which supposedly sets standards on how electronics OEMs should behave, has been fully exposed as being nothing more than a PR front.

Finally, you should read this piece from the Silicon Valley Mercury News that explains what the FLA is — including the main source of its funding.