They might love Apple products, but they sure hate the way they are made. Apple fans across the nation are planning a protest Friday outside retail stores, including San Francisco's downtown location, demanding better working conditions at oversea factories.
Apple consumers have been rather critical of the Cupertino-based company ever since a New York Times story aired the details of abusive working conditions at Foxconn, one of Apple's main factories.
Demonstrators will gather outside the Stockton Street store on Friday at 8 a.m., to confront consumers waiting to buy the new iPad 3 and call on Apple create a worker protection strategy to prevent any more workplace abuse, injury, and death.
Last month, Apple user Mark Shields launched a campaign demanding Apple change its ways, after learning about poor working conditions in Chinese factories where the bulk of Apple products are manufactured, including the cherished iPad. After Shields delivered petitions with 250,000 signatures to six Apple stores around the world, Apple announced the results of their factory investigations would be transparent, and Foxconn raised wages for workers.
"Apple hasn't crossed the finish line yet," Shields said. "New product releases, like the iPad 3 this week, have typically been the most dangerous for workers because of the incredible pressure they are under to meet release production deadlines. That's why 250,000 consumers have signed their names to the petition asking Apple to release a strategy for protecting their workers during new product launches. We want them to use their trademark creativity to help make life better for their factory workers."
If you can't make the protest on Friday, you can still sign the petition, using your iPad, of course.
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