Samsung's War at Home

[mikegg]

http://www.businessweek.com/article...-alter-south-koreas-corporate-is-king-mindset

The story of workers at Samsung's semiconductor plant in South Korea.

After one such day at the hospital, on March 6, 2007, Yu-mi lay down across the back seat of her father’s cab as they began the drive back to Sokcho. As they got closer to home, “Yu-mi said, ‘It’s very hot.’ So I opened the windows, just a little,” Hwang says. “But after a little while, she said, ‘I’m cold,’ so I closed them.” Not long after, his wife looked over her shoulder and cried out. “I pulled my car to the side. I got out and opened her door, and she wasn’t breathing, and her eyes were rolled back. I could see her eyes had gone white. Yu-mi’s mother was crying. Then she closed Yu-mi’s eyes with her hand. I was at a loss. I didn’t know what to do. Then, after a while, I realized I was standing alone on the highway.”

 

[BarkingGhostar]

Vs. Foxconn works in China. Or Orange's workers in France.

 

[Sonikku]

But if they improve working conditions or scale back hours then we'll pay more for our phones. You can't have it both ways.

 

[poofyhairguy]

But if they are forced to improve working conditions or scale back hours then they will just make them somewhere else because we refuse to pay more for our phones.

FIFY

 

[bradly1101]

If we paid enough for our phones, we could make them here! Does this mean that we're cheap-ass bastards, willing to sell the souls of others for our flashy, electronic trinkets?

 

[Markbnj]

You guys are way over-complicating this. It's a market. They sell at a price they're willing to take, and we buy at a price we're willing to pay. You know when the price will go up? When one of two things happens: 1) the U.S. government adds to the cost by imposing tariffs; or 2) the workers in S. Korea demand more money.

And actually it doesn't matter... or put another way it's a lot worse than even you think, because in 20-30 years no humans will have these jobs. Humans suck at all this sort of work when compared to machines, and the only reason that humans get these jobs now is they're cheaper than the current machine technology.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

You guys are way over-complicating this. It's a market. They sell at a price they're willing to take, and we buy at a price we're willing to pay. You know when the price will go up? When one of two things happens: 1) the U.S. government adds to the cost by imposing tariffs; or 2) the workers in S. Korea demand more money.

And actually it doesn't matter... or put another way it's a lot worse than even you think, because in 20-30 years no humans will have these jobs. Humans suck at all this sort of work when compared to machines, and the only reason that humans get these jobs now is they're cheaper than the current machine technology.

And just like that, businesses are absolved from any responsibility for their employees save a paycheck.

 

[bradley]

But if they improve working conditions or scale back hours then we'll pay more for our phones. You can't have it both ways.

Do we even have a choice? Especially a choice of quality over quantity?

Americans have been hyper-conditioned into over consumption - Hollywood, Madison Avenue, Wall/K Street and Washington have very powerful tools at their disposal. And at the Federal Reserve, let's not pretend our fiat currency isn't calling all the world shots.

A typical example of over-consumption, buying a new phone model every year waiting for bugs to be excised and better features implemented, throwing the old one in the trash. Not only is the buck being passed, so are the problems and inefficiencies.

A more pressing example, someone who diligently visits the doctor every year and still develops heart disease, osteoporosis, diabetes, gallstones, kidney stones, again, while under a doctor's 'care' and taking copious medications to prevent said 'conditions.'

We're slaves here too, just to different things. We're not feeling the same pain as Chinese/S. Korean workers now, but have little room left to kick the can.

 

[Markbnj]

And just like that, businesses are absolved from any responsibility for their employees save a paycheck.

Meh, don't want to turn this into a P&N thread. What are they supposed to do? The buying and selling prices are not set by governments, or some benevolent overlord who is looking out for the social good. The fact is these are low-value jobs. You can artificially increase their value through some sort of regulatory or social action, but that tends to be temporary, and frankly just accelerates the search for alternatives such as machines.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Meh, don't want to turn this into a P&N thread. What are they supposed to do? The buying and selling prices are not set by governments, or some benevolent overlord who is looking out for the social good. The fact is these are low-value jobs. You can artificially increase their value through some sort of regulatory or social action, but that tends to be temporary, and frankly just accelerates the search for alternatives such as machines.

As a company, you realize you have a responsibility to your employees and community for health and welfare. As a consumer, you vote with your pocketbook and, if it's the only game in town, you refuse to play the game.