In December 2014 we posted an extensive report that was titled "The BBC Report about Apple is motivated by Politics and Unions." Patently Apple had been following the Chinese labor movement's ongoing fight with tech companies in their country in general and Apple specifically, for years. The China Labor Watch (CLW) group decided long ago to make Apple their poster child for labor abuse in their country. For the most part, they were the force behind the BBC's report called "Apple's Broken Promises." Last month CLW published a new report wailing against Apple once again that went relatively unnoticed in North America. Today's report briefly covers this week's Mossberg Interview with Jeff Williams and then delves into CLW's latest rant against Apple.

This week Apple's Senior VP of Operations Jeff Williams was interviewed by Walt Mossberg at the <Re/code> Code Conference. The starting segment of the interview focused on the suicides at the Hon Hai plant years ago and here's what Williams stated:

"The story first surfaced of a cluster of suicides in Hon Hai is what you're referring to. This alarmed us and Tim and I personally went to China and investigated the situation and we learned a lot and … but one of the things we learned is that they had nothing to do with working conditions. That's a common refrain in the press, but the reality is even in their big cluster of suicides the statistics were a lower suicide rate than any place in the U.S. at their biggest cluster. So by that definition, it would be the happiest place on earth." And then that segment abruptly ended.

Every word that came out of Williams's mouth was a struggle as he was gazing into the ether trying to find a way to legally cover this subject matter. What did "a lower suicide rate than any place in the U.S." even mean in context to the specific Hon Hai plant suicides?

So why am I bringing this up days later? At the time I was a little baffled by why that segment of the Mossberg interview was even chosen considering that it's a relatively old headline. Then this morning I read about a new round of complaints that the CLW were making against Apple. This time it was concerning labor abuses occurring in one of the Apple Watch plants. The report was actually published weeks before the Williams interview. So it became apparent that Apple was still under fire at what's occurring at their Chinese supplier plants. So in a sense, there's still an ongoing PR war playing out in the press between Apple and the CLW and Williams was simply being cautious in how he wanted to frame Apple's position on the matter.

While Apple's ongoing progress to better working conditions in supplier plants is ongoing, CLW never misses a heartbeat in trying to counter Apple's claims by pounding the table at every opportunity to expose labor abuses that are allegedly occurring at Apple's supplier plants.

With Apple's extensive and ongoing reporting on this matter being steeped in details that include pristine photos of happy plant personnel, the CLW is being forced to make counter claims that are more bombastic in nature at every opportunity in order to get the attention that they need to keep the war against Apple alive.

Apple is a company that goes out of their way to establish the best consumer experiences in their Apple Stores and creates some of the most luxurious tech related store environments on the planet for their customers to enjoy. Apple is constantly winning customer service and tech support accolades from top analysts and industry groups for the way that they go the extra mile to satisfy their customer needs. We all know how Jony Ives makes product videos as if they were the Sermon on the Mount. Every detail is measured, crafted, weighed and colorfully explained in the coolest English accent to show that Apple stands for quality through and through.

Apple supports major disasters around the world and rallies the Apple faithful to donate in any way that they can to assist those in need. Apple's CEO Tim Cook just donated 6.5 million dollars to charity yesterday.

With Apple having a giant PR image that's hard to tarnish, the CLW just doesn't have the sense to just give up and pick on an easier target. Apple is the whale they want to harpoon at any cost. It's now beyond an obsession – it's an addiction for the CLWs leadership. They just can't stop. Below is CLW's latest press release that was made public last month.

The China Labor Watch Press Release

"A new China Labor Watch (CLW) investigation revealed major labor rights violations at the Chinese factory manufacturing the Apple Watch. CLW will protest Apple's continued failure to uphold its labor rights promises and demand that Apple commit $10 of each product to pay for higher wages for manufacturing workers.

CLW conducted the probe in March and April, sending an undercover investigator into the Quanta Computer factory in Changshu, China, where the Apple Watch is being produced. Published in cooperation with National Enquirer/Radar Online [read the outrageous hype here], investigative findings revealed that despite Apple having a fresh chance to design and manage the supplier chain of a brand new product, it did not prevent serious violations of Chinese labor laws and Apple's own code of conduct.

These rights infringements include illegal hiring fees of up to 800 RMB (US$129); illegally excessive use of temp workers; age restrictions for applicants; six-day workweeks of 12 to 16-hour shifts; daily unpaid overtime; perfunctory safety training far below statutory minimums despite contact with toxic chemicals like ethoxy propanol, n-heptane, and industrial alcohol; insufficient protective equipment; high pressure work environments with verbally abusive management and a silent work policy; locked safety exits and narrow escape routes; eight workers to a dorm room with insufficient facilities; unsanitary environment, with at least 100 workers sickened by measles and rubella in recent months; inability to resign with all due wages; early resignation fees from labor dispatch companies; and a lack of effective grievance channels and worker representation.

Such abuses occur on a daily basis despite Apple having numerous of its employees on site at Quanta monitoring production, yet again demonstrating that Apple's promises to uphold law and high labor standards are little more than false advertisement. It is difficult to believe Apple CEO Tim Cook when he says, "We care about every worker in our worldwide supply chain."

In February 2015, Apple published a social responsibility report and garnered headlines over its announcement that "starting in 2015, no worker employed on an Apple line could be charged any recruitment fees."

CLW's new investigation has shown that even this key promise has turned out to be a farce. Nine out of ten Quanta workers making the Apple Watch are temporary dispatch workers who had to pay fees of up to 800 RMB ($129) in addition to intermediary and medical exam fees in order to get this job.

In addition to respecting Chinese labor laws, CLW will demand of Apple:

(1) 10 additional dollars of every Apple product sold is used exclusively to pay for higher wages for manufacturing workers;

(2) Insurance and benefits of all workers making Apple products are paid according to local laws.

Lost Credibility

When a labor union group is the one sending in their own undercover reporters (their own employees or related people) to investigate a plant's conditions like they did for the BBC's report, how are we to take them seriously? And how stupid is the CLW's leadership to have chosen to work with the National Enquirer who has over the years published headlines like these:

One: BILL CLINTON CONFESSION: I HUNTED ALIENS AT AREA 51!

Two: NASA MOON WALKER ALIEN COVER UP

Three: POLITICO ALIEN ABDUCTION

In the end, while I certainly don't buy into Apple's Mary Poppins version of what's happening in their supplier plants in China, I do believe that they're honestly trying to improve the conditions for those making their products more than any other tech company in China including Samsung, Dell or others. Apple is just the industry's rain maker at this point in history which makes them the target du jour.

On the other side, the CLW's overboard claims about working conditions and insistence on painting Apple as the Great Satan walking the earth to rally their troops and win new converts doesn't help their cause with the outside world.

Yet at the end of the day, it all comes down to the CLW shooting themselves in the head by working with the National Enquirer to make their case. They've become the laughing stock of unions to have thought that this approach would have won them any sway or sympathy from those of us in North America. It's ball game over and lights out for the CLW. They struck out with the BBC and now they've buried themselves in a hole that they'll never be able to get out of.

I mean, what could the National Enquirer be writing next? – That Apple's Spaceship headquarters reveals an alien plot to take over the world? Well, Apple may have already begun that plan, but it has nothing to do with aliens. I swear. :-)

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