Apple's ban on felons for construction project draws criticism

[alp227]

This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by cbayer (a host of the Latest Breaking News forum).

Source: San Jose Mercury News

CUPERTINO -- An Apple policy barring workers convicted of felonies from the construction of its new campus has drawn criticism from union leaders and advocates, who say the jobs are a key source of labor for ex-convicts trying to find a foothold in society.

Iron Workers Local Union 377 spoke out against the policy this week, questioning why workers with recent felony convictions should be shut out from work on Apple's spaceship-themed campus, a massive undertaking in Cupertino that is expected to yield thousands of construction jobs. Michael Theriault, president of the union, said the group is bewildered by Apple's requirements, which he says are a rarity in the industry.

"The worry, of course, is that if Apple gets away with it, we will see it propagate to other projects, and a real possibility for rehabilitation becomes much more constricted," he said.

Through letters sent in January, the union asked Apple CEO Tim Cook to undo the ban and appealed to California Attorney General Kamala Harris to use her influence to support the cause. A spokeswoman for Harris said the office has reached out to Apple but declined to comment further.

Read more: http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_27860488/apples-ban-felons-construction-project-draws-criticism

[MannyGoldstein]

1. Apple being a model citizen. nt

[DesertDiamond]

2. Thank you, unions. When my cousin was just out of prison the only work he could get was in

construction. Apple may have some reason, like the possibility of copper wire being stolen, since that's stolen a lot these days, but they could be guarding anything valuable on their construction sites anyway. Not all thieves have prison records.

[jaysunb]

3. I don't understand this....

I thought Apple was a progressive company.

[goldent]

4. I have never seen them as any more or less progressive than other large companies...

once you look past the fluff.

[jaysunb]

5. Very clever branding and marketing...

had me going. Oh well, it's good to learn something everyday.

[goldent]

6. The other thing is that they make some very good products

and people want to like them. It's just human nature.

[TekGryphon]

7. Apple never has and never will be progressive. They are the opposite.

They emphasize locked-down solutions over open environments.

They cripple the environment and the poor by refusing to adopt to industry standards, instead pushing proprietary cords and solutions (like non-removable batteries) that either cost 4-5x as much to replace while performing worse, or have to be thrown away where competitors' products can be fixed, or both.

They take last-gen hardware, remove key features, then charge a massive price premium for their logo - a tax on low-information consumers.

Their marketing campaign assures people that it's ok to be too lazy, obstinate, or just plain stupid to use operating systems that aren't stripped to the basics and aggressively locked down and, instead, to take pride in not being able to use anything else.

There is a reason they sell less than 20% of the smartphones in the industry, yet make over 80% of the smartphone industry profits. Their profit margins are absolutely massive. They make their fortune preying off two types of consumers: low-information consumers who can afford to blow their money, and low-information consumers who can't.

All that being said, I do admire Tim Cook. While Steve Jobs was an aristocratic douche-bag on par with the Koch brothers, willing to manipulate the poor and stupid to build his fortunes, Tim Cook is more in line with Bill Gates. He's already contributed huge sums to charity, and has pledged to disperse all of his wealth when he dies.

[jaysunb]

8. Thank you. Much appreciated. n/t

[onehandle]

10. So much bullshit in that. Apple has the cleanest products, environment-wise out there.

Their green initiatives are award winning and praised by Greenpeace. They are the market leader by far and others are raising their standards because they have no choice.

https://www.apple.com/environment

They are always on the lists of most progressive companies. They tell millionaire right-wing whiners complaining about their liberal ways to shut up at stockholder meetings.

Clearly you just hate their products.

[marble falls]

9. I want an Apple computer but I don't want Apple baggage. And it seems like its getting bigger.

[onehandle]

11. This was posted in LBN on Saturday. Link:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=6458140

[cbayer]

12. Locking as duplicate

This was posted on Friday, April 3.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=6458140