Ford investigating ‘Where lost fingers come cheap’ factory

---

Having a supplier that mistreats its workers is bad for business, just ask Apple what effect worker suicides at its contracted assembly factory had on its brand image, now Ford is facing similar accusations. Earlier this week a report was produced the by Institute for Global Labor and Human Rights issued a new report entitled “Dirty Parts/Where Lost Fingers Come Cheap:  Ford in China” which documented alleged worker mistreatment, safety violations and abuse at one of Ford’s suppliers.

The report raises Yuwei Plastics and Hardware Products company based in Donguan, China. Ford buys 80% of the factories output, and the relationship is so close that Yuwei set up a US office complete with a warehouse close to Ford’s factories in Michigan.

A 21 year old worker at the factory had three fingers ripped from his left hand when it was crushed in a stamping machine that was producing RT Tubes for Ford, the workers immediate supervisors had ordered the worker to turn off the safety stops so he could work faster to meet the companies standard or 3600 tubes per day, or one every 12 seconds.

The report can be read online here and goes into detail on what abuses took place, how the workers were fired for getting hurt on the job and then poorly compensated for their injuries.