Summit HS Student Spreads Awareness of Apple's Sweatshop Factories

Ben Schwartz is trying to spread awareness on the conditions at Apple's alleged sweatshop factories in China as part of his year long reform project at Summit High School. 

The following information was written by Ben Schwartz:

If there is anything that Americans love, it’s our technologically advanced “gadgets.” Anything that can make our lives easier and more enjoyable are highly popular among us.

For example why would you buy a toaster, when you could buy a toaster that also serves as a microwave, timer, alarm clock and oven! Why would you buy a device that plays music, when you could buy a phone that plays music, can browse the web and even play games. You wouldn’t!  That is why the technological tycoon of a company, Apple, is so incredibly successful. In fact, Apple is one of the most valuable companies in the world right now.

Over the years, Apple has invented a device under a pound, that can outperform older computers that weighed a ton! The formation of this sort of technology in such a short period of time is nothing short of a miracle and even more so that it is affordable. With a cell phone contract, the brand new Iphone 5 is only 200 dollars.

But what if this phone was produced in America? Then how much would it cost? 300 Dollars? 400? 500? 600? Try 1000 dollars. The reason for this is because America has standard work codes stating you have to treat your workers humanely and compensate them according to the minimum wage laws. China, however, has no such laws. That is why Apple’s beloved technological gadgets are all produced illegally in Chinese sweatshops.

That’s right, the device you are reading this article on, (iphone, ipad, macbook pro) is most likely produced illegally in China. In these working conditions, laborers are paid about 60 cents per hour and work over 10 hours a day. Even if the lowest earners do the maximum available overtime of 80 hours per month, they still do not earn enough to pay taxes! The employees live in wretched dorms in the factory and 18 workers have already committed suicide. Now, suicide nets are standard precautions throughout all walls of the factory. If you can believe it, employees working for Apple in China actually think themselves lucky that they don’t work in other factories where conditions are much worse.

Doesn’t that sound horrible? Don’t you want to do something about it? Don’t you just want to take hammer and smash your new Iphone? NO! Of course you don’t! But that is the problem America faces today.  No American is willing to sacrifice their Iphone in a boycott against apple. It’s too important to them. Americans have learned to live contingently upon this device and now need it with them everywhere they go. This needs to stop. No human being should be able to use Apple’s products, knowing that people shed their blood and sweat to make it, and have a clean conscious. So if you are bold enough, if you are brave enough, if you are willing to make a stand, join me and show our protest against Apple. No, you don’t have to throw away all your devices from Apple. But like my facebook page and join my online petition to show your support.  Hopefully, one day, these devices could be made just as cheap in America or continue to be made in China, but through more humane working conditions. 

Link to facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/End-Apples-Sweatshops/434750729944183?skip_nax_wizard=true