Activists' Demand From Apple: Sweat-Free Workers

Suicides, horrific working conditions, and low wages to make a profit were the overriding reasons dozens of .

Demonstrators were there to press Apple to place greater value to human lives over profits as the wave of news spreads about unethical treatment of employees at Foxconn, a manufacturer of Apple products such as the iPad and iPhone.

“It’s truly appalling. I thought Apple was better than that,” said Dana Johnsen, who learned about Foxconn’s troubles through an NPR report.

The report divulged dreadful working conditions inside Foxconn, Johnsen said.

“It was horrific. I was physically ill when I finished listening to it,” she said.

A string of suicides and extremely long hours for little pay are just some of the charges against Foxconn.

Critics of Apple’s continued relationship with Foxconn argue that the company—which recently topped charts as the most profitable company in the world—should be more concerned about people and the environment than it is about turning a profit.

Paying better wages, taking better care of the environment by removing toxic chemicals from its manufacturing process are just some of what Amy Hansen would like to see the company change.

“They can afford it. They’re just using people to make a profit,” she said.

Hansen, a San Jose resident, works for the Oakland-based Center for Environmental Health.

She and CEH watch and work with tech businesses to improve the “entire electronics life cycle,” she said.

People love the sleek and sexy products, and Hansen is an Apple product owner herself, she said, but the products are coming at the expense of people’s lives.

“We’re Apple customers, we love their products. We want to feel better about the purchases we make,” said Benazir Vohra of Santa Clara.

Vohra and others gathered at Apple on the day of the tech giant’s first shareholders meeting since the October death of company co-founder and CEO Steve Jobs.

But to Dave Ledesma of Occupy San Jose, it’s not just the shareholders they are trying to get the message to, it’s the people who buy Apple products who should demand the company either change manufacturers or force the manufacturing companies it works with to improve the working conditions.

Apple asked for an independent investigation by a third party to review the conditions at Foxconn and its other vendors, but asking for the investigation now in the wake of increased attention doesn’t seem sincere or soon enough for some. Now is the time to do something about it, demonstrators said.

"Shame on them if they miss (the opportunity)," Johnsen said.

Apple either did know or should have known about Foxconn’s conditions before entering into an agreement with the Chinese company, some say.

“It’s like a bunch of Republicans going to an orgy and then claiming innocence when finding out the prostitutes there were paid for by a Super PAC,” said Bob Pedretti of San Jose.

Demonstrators said they were mobilized by civic action groups such as MoveOn and SumOfUs.