NYU student talks assembling Apple's iPhone 6s & 7 for Pegatron

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in iPhone
In an interview published on Tuesday, a New York University graduate student described working at a Pegatron factory near Shanghai last year as a summer project, where he assembled the iPhone 6s and later the iPhone 7.




While the Q&A session with Dejian Zeng, conducted by Business Insider, revealed little in the way of new information, it did offer a few interesting tidbits about Apple's process of prepping a new iPhone model for manufacturing.

As previously outlined in numerous China Labor Watch reports, Zeng's job involved repetitive, boring work. Initially, Zeng was tasked with fastening an iPhone 6s speaker to its housing with a single screw, repeatedly, over the course of 12-hour shifts. When he was switched to iPhone 7 work in August, his job switched to fastening a camera cowling using two screws.

Zeng noted that when the iPhone 7 went into trial production he would sometimes have nothing to do for hours, only churning out a handful of phones in an entire day. Security, meanwhile, ramped to severe levels, with two security checks plus increased metal detector sensitivity, even forcing women with wire bras to change their clothes.

During iPhone 7 production, Apple staff -- referred to as "the client" by Pegatron staff -- were on the floor to monitor the process, and factory management are said to have turned the assembly line into a virtual "clean room."

Zeng noted that he only earned $450 per month, with unpaid breaks and effectively mandatory overtime. Most people on the floor couldn't afford iPhones, and so used local Chinese smartphones instead -- important, since they were required to use a special Apple-promoted app with training documents and overtime information.

Pegatron itself is said to have offered two days of training, mostly focused on safety, and indeed kept an eye out for safety problems after the fact as well as underage workers.

An Apple spokesperson told BI that the company has staff at the Pegatron factory every day, and performs audits to keep weekly overtime under 60 hours, the average allegedly being 43. Wages are claimed to have grown more than 50 percent in the last five years, passing Shanghai's minimum wage.

Apple audits of Pegatron operations purportedly found 99 percent compliance with the 60-hour limit. Zeng complained, however, that workers do sometimes put in more than 60 hours, and that people barely get enough time for rest, much less some of the training programs they're offered that would allow them to pursue a less grueling career.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 36
    2 words: Ro. Bots. 
    Michael Ahlersjony0watto_cobraSpamSandwichStrangeDays
  • Reply 2 of 36
    Michael AhlersMichael Ahlers Posts: 1unconfirmed, member
    2 words: Ro. Bots. 
    You beat me to it. While I empathize there can be few expectations of a job that machines can do better, faster, and cheaper. Given enough pushback from employees, employers—in these cases—will simply turn to automation. At the same time, consumers can't criticize these labor practices while demanding lower and lower prices. For any item on a store shelf, the cost comes out of somebody's paycheck—either yours or the factory worker's.
    anton zuykovwatto_cobraspacekidh2p
  • Reply 3 of 36
    revenantrevenant Posts: 621member
    I used to work for Mercedes-benz, I could not and cannot afford a new one. Were they not paying me enough? 

    This is a china problem, not an Apple problem. I am not even sure Apple determines how much people can make at these factories, factories that make products for Samsung, Microsoft, google and the likes I might add. 

    I would sincerely like to know how much Oppo and Xiaomi, and Huawei pay their workers.
    baconstangjony0anton zuykovradarthekatwatto_cobraSpamSandwichpscooter63slprescottmike1jbdragon
  • Reply 4 of 36
    revenant said:

    I would sincerely like to know how much Oppo and Xiaomi, and Huawei pay their workers.
    Yes!!!
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 5 of 36
    yojimbo007yojimbo007 Posts: 1,165member
    Spies... the most honorable and respectable  people in the world i guess ha... ....  holier than thou , save the world type.. who have no clue of the bigger picture.... and take pride in stupid shortsighted comments . .. Zeng ... get a clue... do u even have and idea how those workers lived before they had access to these jobs.... moron ! 


    to quote Z400racer37 from macrumors .  

    https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/nyu-student-goes-undercover-at-pegatron-factory-offers-inside-look-at-iphone-production.2041400/#post-24487755

    edited April 2017 watto_cobra
  • Reply 6 of 36
    maestro64maestro64 Posts: 5,043member
    All I know when I had jobs which paid over time, I did everything I could to get those extra hours, making time and half at job you already know if good money. Eventually I learn that I did not want to do that kind of work and got a good education. Now I still work 60 hours and only get paid for 40, who is getting screw more...
    baconstangkidrock2199pscooter63waltgjbdragon
  • Reply 7 of 36
    robin huberrobin huber Posts: 3,945member
    In some ways China is where the U.S. was in late 19th century. Even with a democracy we had sweatshops, child labor, etc. it will be fascinating to see how China's political system will deal with the disparities between the aspirations of its people and its need to maintain political control 
    baconstangjony0spice-boyjbdragonh2p
  • Reply 8 of 36
    Jessee MichaelJessee Michael Posts: 8unconfirmed, member
    As someone who does business in China at the factory level – and while CERTAINLY not trying to defend bad working conditions – many workers come from the outer provinces and prefer to work as many hours as possible, to make as much money as possible to send home or bring back with them. The overtime pay, which is relatively recent, is something many workers hope for. I know of a factory that simply shut off the power so that workers could not stay for overtime shifts. We can't just put 21st century benefits on a country that was hardly in the 19th century not so long ago.
    jony0watto_cobra[Deleted User]pentaemike1jbdragon
  • Reply 9 of 36
    lkrupplkrupp Posts: 10,557member
    In some ways China is where the U.S. was in late 19th century. Even with a democracy we had sweatshops, child labor, etc. it will be fascinating to see how China's political system will deal with the disparities between the aspirations of its people and its need to maintain political control 
    The same thing will happen. As the Chinese standard of living rises the labor force will price itself out of a job, just like U.S. manufacturing workers did. Manufacturing will then move to the next low cost labor zone, maybe India. Along the way the manufacturers will continue to move to automation as much as they can. Movements like the ‘raise the minimum wage’ campaigns will be snuffed out as McDonalds and others move to automated restaurants. Progressive socialist politicians have been harping for decades about a guaranteed income for every citizen, whether they work or not. I’m certainly not an economist but common sense tells me this is all heading for a huge train wreck.
    jony0williamhmike1jbdragontoddzrx
  • Reply 10 of 36
    Until 5 years ago I worked 12 hour days, 5 days a week and worked 6 hours (a half day!) on Saturday quite frequently. We had no air conditioning and the heat in the winter was set at 58. The heaters were mounted close to the ceiling, generally about 30 feet up. I had to wear gloves to perform the job and for several years also wear a hard hat, even though I was inside. I did a repetitive job, basically repeating the same task all day long. Guess what, that is what factory work is like. Yes, I made more than $450/month. Quite a bit more, but I was in no way "rich". I did that job for just under 15 years and not once did anyone from the outside question the working conditions or push for them to be improved. I knew what I was getting into from the start and did the job I was hired for. That company is still manufacturing, right here in the USA. The jobs and the conditions are the same today as when I left.
    jony0watto_cobrapk22901fotoformatjbdragonh2p
  • Reply 11 of 36
    robin huberrobin huber Posts: 3,945member
    lkrupp said:
    In some ways China is where the U.S. was in late 19th century. Even with a democracy we had sweatshops, child labor, etc. it will be fascinating to see how China's political system will deal with the disparities between the aspirations of its people and its need to maintain political control 
    The same thing will happen. As the Chinese standard of living rises the labor force will price itself out of a job, just like U.S. manufacturing workers did. Manufacturing will then move to the next low cost labor zone, maybe India. Along the way the manufacturers will continue to move to automation as much as they can. Movements like the ‘raise the minimum wage’ campaigns will be snuffed out as McDonalds and others move to automated restaurants. Progressive socialist politicians have been harping for decades about a guaranteed income for every citizen, whether they work or not. I’m certainly not an economist but common sense tells me this is all heading for a huge train wreck.
    History never repeats itself exactly. There are always new wrinkles which power evolution and progress over time, otherwise we'd all still be building pyramids for Pharaoh. Change will happen whether we like it or not.  The best we can do is push for a humanitarian ideal. 
    StrangeDays
  • Reply 12 of 36
    Sounds exactly like what I did assembling pagers at Motorola here in Boynton Beach, FL back in the late '90's.
  • Reply 13 of 36
    radarthekatradarthekat Posts: 3,834moderator
    revenant said:
    I used to work for Mercedes-benz, I could not and cannot afford a new one. Were they not paying me enough? 

    This is a china problem, not an Apple problem. I am not even sure Apple determines how much people can make at these factories, factories that make products for Samsung, Microsoft, google and the likes I might add. 

    I would sincerely like to know how much Oppo and Xiaomi, and Huawei pay their workers.
    Exactly.  The article ends with this observation...

    'Apple audits of Pegatron operations purportedly found 99 percent compliance with the 60-hour limit. Zeng complained, however, that workers do sometimes put in more than 60 hours, and that people barely get enough time for rest, much less some of the training programs they're offered that would allow them to pursue a less grueling career.'

    A less grueling career is what these Pegatron employees found in the factories.  Since moving to the Philippines I've passed huge fields of rice cultivation.  Does rice cultivation, often representing a subsistence lifestyle, represent a less repetitive, more rewarding, higher paying and less grueling occupation?  Here's a view, at least here in the Philippines, of the lives representative of where these workers come from and help support with the higher incomes that come from factory work that they remit home. Note that this video presents an idyllic view of this life; most have nothing like the homestead depicted but are squatters who owe the land owner the majority of their output.




    edited April 2017
  • Reply 14 of 36
    radarthekatradarthekat Posts: 3,834moderator
    Sounds exactly like what I did assembling pagers at Motorola here in Boynton Beach, FL back in the late '90's.
    Just moved, in Sept last year, from Boca Raton, to the Philippines.  Lived there seven years.  Boynton Beach is a nice town I frequented for shopping and socializing.  Thumbs up to Two Georges and The Banana Boat.
  • Reply 15 of 36
    paxmanpaxman Posts: 4,729member
    revenant said:
    I used to work for Mercedes-benz, I could not and cannot afford a new one. Were they not paying me enough? 

    This is a china problem, not an Apple problem. I am not even sure Apple determines how much people can make at these factories, factories that make products for Samsung, Microsoft, google and the likes I might add. 

    I would sincerely like to know how much Oppo and Xiaomi, and Huawei pay their workers.
    Disagree. This is a 'world' problem. I am not putting the blame squarely on Apple, nor on anyone else for that matter - I just don't know enough about it. But I do know that people being paid a pittance for mindless robotic work to build devices for super wealthy corporations is a problem to which we are all complicit in one way or the other. People having to work endless hours without any kind of security and at the end of which they are unable to afford proper housing for their families or to feed and school their children is not right, no matter in which part of the world it happens. It definitely is a China problem but it is also a world problem. It is a fucked up world where this is even possible when there is so much wealth around. 
    revenantretrogustoStrangeDays
  • Reply 16 of 36
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    In some ways China is where the U.S. was in late 19th century. Even with a democracy we had sweatshops, child labor, etc. it will be fascinating to see how China's political system will deal with the disparities between the aspirations of its people and its need to maintain political control 
    I can tell you if China gets into a trade war with the US their economy will implode and the odds they'll fall into civil war are high.
  • Reply 17 of 36
    kevin keekevin kee Posts: 1,289member
    That just how the assembly line factory job is, no one should be surprise. When you sign in, expect it to be no difference - whether it's to assemble iPhone or plastic toy. The article does paint that the condition of the workers are in good shape though. Nothing is majorly concerned.
  • Reply 18 of 36
    This won't stop the Apple haters from continuing to say that Apple uses slave labor in China to make its devices.

    Sad fact of the world we live in.


  • Reply 19 of 36
    davidwdavidw Posts: 2,028member
    paxman said:
    revenant said:
    I used to work for Mercedes-benz, I could not and cannot afford a new one. Were they not paying me enough? 

    This is a china problem, not an Apple problem. I am not even sure Apple determines how much people can make at these factories, factories that make products for Samsung, Microsoft, google and the likes I might add. 

    I would sincerely like to know how much Oppo and Xiaomi, and Huawei pay their workers.
    Disagree. This is a 'world' problem. I am not putting the blame squarely on Apple, nor on anyone else for that matter - I just don't know enough about it. But I do know that people being paid a pittance for mindless robotic work to build devices for super wealthy corporations is a problem to which we are all complicit in one way or the other. People having to work endless hours without any kind of security and at the end of which they are unable to afford proper housing for their families or to feed and school their children is not right, no matter in which part of the world it happens. It definitely is a China problem but it is also a world problem. It is a fucked up world where this is even possible when there is so much wealth around. 
    The trouble is that you are over estimating how much wealth there is in the World and way, way, under estimating how much poor (lack of wealth) there is in the World. The common figures they like to throw around is that the top 1% wealthiest people in the World owns 50% of the World's wealth and the the top 10% of the wealthiest people in the World owns 90% of the World wealth. What you never hear is how much wealth does one need to have, to be in the 1% or the 10%. Most people assume the top 1 must all be billionaires and the top 10% are all millionaires. That is so far from reality. To be in the 1% of the wealthiest people in the World, one only needs to have about $800,000 of wealth. To be in the top 10% of the wealthiest people in the World, one only needs to have about $80,000 of wealth.  I doubt that any one with $80,000 of wealth, feels wealthy and yet they would be in the top 10% of the wealthiest people in the World.  

    This is because more than 3B people (half the adult World population) has less than $3,700 in wealth. 1% of the World adult population is 56M people and 10% of the World adult population is 560,000M people. There are only about 2500 billionaires in the World and only about 16M millionaires in the world. All the billionaires and millionaires and people with a least $1M in wealth, in the World, accounts for about 75% of the people in the wealthiest 1%. The other 25% (in the top 1%) are people with at least $800,000 in wealth. By that standard, I'm willing to bet over 50% of the people commenting here are in the 1% of wealthiest people in the World and nearly all are in the top 10% of the wealthiest people in the World.

    It is no great feat for a dozen of the richest people in the World to have more wealth than the poorer 50% of the World adult population. Not when the 3B people that makes up the  poorest 50% of the World adult population, have less than $3,600 per person, in wealth. A panhandler that makes $10 a day, is wealthier than 50% of the adults of the World's population.  

    And then we're taking about wealth not annual income. How much wealth one has is not just based on annual income. A life savings account is wealth. A college fund for your kids is wealth. A mortgage free home is wealth. So is a paid for auto or a Picasso or coin and stamp collection or an Apple 1 computer or an IRA  or stock portfolio or a profitable business. Wealth is not necessarily something that can be replace every year, once it's gone.

    Take away Gates $75B that he has amassed in wealth over the last 35 years and give it to the poorest 50% and it's only a one time deal. Gates will not earn another $75B for quite awhile. And it will only come to $22 per person in the bottom 50%. So how will the poorer 50% receive another $75B next year and the year after next? Redistribution of wealth, no matter how much of it is concentrated among the top 1% or 10% of the wealthiest people in the World, is not the answer you are looking for.

     Margret Thatcher put it this way………. "The problem with Socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money."

    Plus the "wealth" of a corporation do not count. All of the corporation wealth belongs to it's shareholders and is counted as part of the shareholders wealth. You can't count it twice.      



    https://thenextrecession.wordpress.com/2016/11/24/top-1-of-adults-own-51-of-the-worlds-wealth-top-10-own-89-and-bottom-50-own-only-1/  ;
    pentaemike1
  • Reply 20 of 36
    welshdogwelshdog Posts: 1,896member
    maestro64 said:
     Now I still work 60 hours and only get paid for 40, who is getting screw more...
    This. this is what's wrong in the United States. Somehow mother culture convinced us that working many extra hours a week for no pay is okay and maybe even good. All it does is raise "productivity" numbers which is really just a measure of how much workers are getting screwed. If you look at U.S. worker purchasing power over the last century, the current day is little changed.  Natch the top income earners have seen massive growth in their buying power.  Something's gotta give.
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