Apple has been in the news a lot lately, mostly reactions from the NYT report on factory working conditions. Some of those facts have been disputed by a BSR open letter. But it still leaves the conclusion that more can be done. Of course there are those that argue that this is simply all part of the economic revolution all developed nations go through and that all things being equal, this is a far better path for them. Personally I think Apple is slightly better than most of the other companies dealing with China (e.g. Dell, HP) and working with the same factories, but it doesn’t mean there isn’t improvement for line shifts and hour caps to reduce repetitive strain injuries.
I’ve been working through my backlog of podcasts while doing some work around the house. I listened to one yesterday which made me pause. So often the labor conditions discussions don’t really hit home. Mike Daisey’s monologue featured on This American Life changed that for me and gave the facts a human face. Though some of the things he mentions are out of date (his visit to China was in 2010), the majority of it is valid and visceral.