NYT report: Apple, America and a Squeezed Middle Class

Fascinating and somewhat depressing article on why middle class manufacturing jobs may never recover in the USA no matter which political party is in power in the future:

 

Because countries like China don't care about the quality of life of their middle class? Okay.

I'm not really sure this: "The facility has 230,000 employees, many working six days a week, often spending up to 12 hours a day at the plant. Over a quarter of Foxconn’s work force lives in company barracks and many workers earn less than $17 a day." is something Apple should be proud of supporting.

But then again, I've never really bought into Apple and their quasi-yuppie marketing. I'm not really surprised they're pulling a Nike with slightly better sweatshop standards.

 

Over course your average 'Murrican will point to this as proof that 'Murrican wages are too high, rather than Chinese wages are too low. Know what's gonna be fun? When those people go through their own Pinkerton riots. It'll happen, just wait. History's loaded with classes of people who were held down and eventually got pissed and did something about it. Should make for fun television... on televisions that they made for $1.15/hour.

 

That YankeeFan didn't start this and take passive-aggressive swipes at the Times, their investigative reporting and dem damn libbies in general is the biggest upset of the year.

 

The fact that The Times decided to take on Apple might be bigger upset.
I posted a link on 1% thread as there it was pertinent to discussion, but this article deserves it's own thread.

I'm glad that the spotlight is finally being turned on Apple. Some of their decisions might be more damaging to the middle class than anything Wall
Street has done.

Keith Bradsher-- one of co writers of article is a bulldog. He used to be the Detroit auto writer for The Times and almost single highhandedly started a crusade against the big gas guzzling 4 wheel drive vehicles.

Ironic that Apple is such a counter culture liberal icon.

 

Then the multinational corporations, who have loyalty only to their shareholders, pack up those jobs and ship them off to places like Vietnam, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe or wherever the locals are willing to work for what Chinese laborers used to earn before the dream of a middle-class existence wormed its way into their heads.

And what happens 20 or 30 years down the road, when those people start demanding the improving lifestyle the Chinese and Indians enjoy? Where else can manufacturers take those jobs to maintain that downward pressure on prices? If the purpose of the free market is to generate maximum efficiency and the lowest possible price, what happens when you run out of people willing to play the role of the underclass enabling lower prices? People in the developed world haven't exactly shown an eagerness to pay higher prices in order to benefit the lives of those less fortunate.

 

I am surprised that the article did not mention one of the other key benefits of outsourcing besides cheap labor.

The ability to reduce head count on Apple payroll besides reducing wages greatly reduces the cost of benefits such as health care and corporate contributions to social security , medicare and state taxes such as workers comp and unemployment.

 

If Wall Street loved America, they'd halt trading on Apple until those jobs came home.

 

Why does Wall Street love America but hate Americans?

 

They would sell Apple and buy GM for their portfolio

 

Some liberals are viewing this as a puff piece that justifies Apple, not one that harms them.

Also worth noting the Chinese government subsidized the factory that just so happened to be in place in time for the new order.