Fair Labor?
The big elephant in the room that tech people almost never want to talk about is fair labor practices. Almost all of our technology and components come from China, Taiwan, Indonesia, and other countries where labor is cheap and conditions for workers are bad, to say the least.
Much of the worlds electronics today are manufactured in Shenzhen, which is located in China's Guangdong Province.
Clean looking factories can be deceptive; it doesn't mean the workers are treated well
Fortunately, there are some organizations doing amazing work. Groups like China Labor Watch, SHARPS, and ILRF hold larger companies accountable (please consider donating to them :)
These groups often do investigative reporting, going undercover to expose non-compliant companies.
While I don't pretend to have all the solutions to such a large problem, I try to encourage people to at least start the conversation:
-
Where do your PCBs come from?
-
How much are the workers paid?
-
Where are your PCBs assembled?
-
Do workers get health benefits or any days off?
-
Have there been any labor violations in the factories?
-
Are the factories inland or near the coast?
(some places, such as Hong Kong and Shenzhen are enacting labor protections along the coasts of China)
These are some simple questions you can ask businesses.
Good organizations like CLW and ILRF put workers rights at the forefront to end forced labor, build unions and create models for ethical manufacturing.
As someone who designs PCBs, I realized I have an opportunity to make a difference. That's why everything here is hand built in the U.S.A. with fair labor as much as possible.
Everything sold here is also engineered, designed, and assembled in the U.S.A.
That's a statement a lot of companies cannot honestly claim.
As a result, the prices here may be a little higher than you find elsewhere. I sell a lot less as a result. But I sleep a lot better at night knowing that our classic gaming love comes from a good place and is supporting good things. Thanks for being a part of that!
