From China's Factories to U.S. Blueberry Farms…

Workers test electronics at a factory in China. PHOTO: Flickr.com/Robert Scoble

Let’s take a look at Foxconn workers who make Apple iPhones, Dell and Sony technology products.

As reported by Bloomberg News and Wired.com, conditions at Foxconn include:
• very low salary that is not enough to live on, so workers must work long hours overtime
• at least 12 workers having committed suicide in 2010
• safety netting around buildings so that workers cannot jump off and commit suicide
• talking and sitting down are not allowed during work hours

A six year-old girl works alongside her nine-year-old brother and parents in North Carolina. Usually, kids at this age are just starting to help out their parents in the fields and don’t work for very long. PHOTO: Heather Anderson, AFOP

Not only that, but children as young as five are also working on blueberry farms alongside their parents. And this is despite the law that children in the United States can work only after the age of 12, which means that these blueberry farms are breaking the law. Workers are subject to heat strokes, heavy lifting, and falls and trips. Other health problems include issues with breathing and skin, and cancer because of exposure to insecticides. The pay is also minimal. A family of four will, on average, get $12,000 a year, which is barely enough to put food on the table. This leaves families working on these farms very poor.