Over the last 3 months, Apple has been getting hit hard by articles and news stories accusing the iPhone/iPad maker of horride working conditions, specifically in its Chinese factories. The New York Times wrote several stories covering the supposed grievances, we wrote about it here and you can find the Times article here. Yet, the NYT wasn’t the only organization jumping on Apple over worker treatment, others were quick to point the finger at Apple (90% were hit pieces) and one of the loudest was the much beloved podcast: This American Life.
Back in January, This American Life ran a story, with the help of Mike Daisey’s, over the treatment of Apple factory workers in China and possible child labor practices. The piece was hard hitting, very animated (with the help of Mr. Daisey’s theatrical training) and explosive. It was another nail in the coffin for Apple’s continuing PR nightmare but Tim Cook (CEO Apple) didn’t take the accusations lightly, reiterating Apple’s stance on worker conditions:
We think the use of underaged labor is abhorrent. It’s extremely rare in our supply chain, but our top priority is to eliminate it totally. We’ve done that with our final assembly and we’re now working with vendors farther down in the supply chain. If we find a supplier that intentionally hires underage labor, it’s a firing offense….