A few weeks later, new recruits claimed that Foxconn reneged on their contract (the company said it was a “technical error”) which led to violence between factory workers and security guards. Eventually, new assembly line workers were hired, the lockdown ended, and iPhone 14 Pro series production is now back to normal but not without costing Apple $6 billion in lost iPhone sales.
Hunter’s current job is “working the screws” at Foxconn’s largest iPhone assembly plant in China
Hunter’s current job at the factory is known as “working the screws.” He picks up the rear cover of an iPhone and a tiny cable used to charge the phone’s battery. After scanning the QR code of both parts, he peels off the backing of adhesive tape and connects the two parts by tightening two screws. When the task is finished, the parts that he just worked on are put on a conveyor belt and sent to the next station.
The Foxconn factory where Hunter works is the company’s largest iPhone assembly plant in China
The assembly line worker is given 60 seconds to complete his task. Every day, Hunter has a 10-hour shift during which he attaches 600 cables to 600 cases using 1,200 screws. That means he helps 600 iPhone units a day move closer to the ultimate buyer. The environment is a stress-inducing pressure cooker. The room where he works is windowless and reeks of chlorine. Hunter wears a face mask and an anti-static gown while working.
To make sure that it has enough workers manning the assembly line, Foxconn pays its workers more than what a typical blue-collar employee in the country gets paid. Lunch is a strictly timed 60-minute affair and any time spent in the bathroom needs to be made up. Line leaders watch the assembly line using a computer and are quick to dress down those not keeping up with the pace.
Foxconn does offer higher pay for blue-collar workers in Zhengzhou
Another Foxconn worker, a former chef, explains why he would switch careers to work on a stressful iPhone assembly line. He said, “It’s hard to make a living elsewhere, so we came to the factory. We have no other choice but to work for Foxconn’s high pay.”
Speaking of pay, Hunter had worked for Foxconn before, but not on the assembly line. Last year, well before the release of the iPhone 14 series, he saw a recruitment poster for Foxconn offering a bonus equivalent to $1,474 to those workers who stayed for over 90 days. So he came back to work at the factory, still not on the assembly line. But in October, when the COVID lockdown started, he was given the choice of giving up his off-campus apartment and living in a dorm at the factory or quitting. He chose the latter.
So it seems that for workers like Hunter, its the relatively high pay that snags employees just when they’re needed the most. The money might not compare to what blue collar pay is in the states, but in Zhengzhou, Foxconn’s bonuses are tempting to those who can stand the pressure.
