On the heels of his report about Mike Daisey's largely fabricated This American Life story, our China correspondent, Rob Schmitz is back with a new exclusive. Rob recently gained access to the Foxconn factory floor in Shenzhen, China, making him the first public media reporter (and only the second journalist) Apple has ever allowed into its Chinese supplier.
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Wednesday, April 11, "Meet the Makers": Rob introduces us to Foxconn employees like Xiong Ye Fei, who cries in anguish as she explains how fumes from inside the factory may be harming her unborn child. Employee Luo Guofen, says that his supervisors on the iPad assembly line refuse to give him sick leave, but another worker, Zhang Yi Lin, says working at Foxconn has helped him achieve his dreams. It's the Foxconn experience from the employees' perspective.
Thursday, April 12, "Meet the Bosses": Rob is invited inside the Foxconn factory in Shenzhen. The Foxconn complex, with nearly a quarter million workers, is one of the largest factories in the world. The tour shows us a sprawling campus where, after assembling iPads all day, workers have access to company-funded college programs and leisure time on acres of soccer fields, basketball courts and dance halls. It's the side of the Foxconn that Apple and Foxconn management are proud of.