Dir ty Toys M ade in China The Zhenyang Wanju Sw eatshop Factor y INSTITUTE FOR GLOBAL LABOUR AND HUMAN RIGHTS 60 Boulevard of the Allies Pittsburgh, PA 15222 www.glhr.org
December 2015
Table of Contents Pr ef ace ..? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 1 Ex ecu t i ve Su m m ar y ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? .? ? ? 3 Wor k Hou r s ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ............? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ...5 Wor k i n g Con di t i on s ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? .......? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 6 Injection Depar tm ent ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ..? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ..7 Spr ay Paint and Pr inting ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ..8 Assem bly Depar tm ent ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? .10 Th e Hi r i n g Pr ocess ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? .12 Tem p an d St u den t Wor k er s ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ..? ? ? ? ? ..14 Fact or y Faci l i t i es ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ...? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? .18 Peak Season an d Sl ack Season w ages an d h ou r s ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ..26 Toys an d Gl obal War m i n g ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? .? ? ? 29 I n t er v i ew w i t h a Zh en yan g Wor k er ? ? ? ? ? ..? ? ? ? ? .? ? ? ? ? ? ? 30 Adden da ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? .......? ? ...............32
Author : Char les Ker naghan Resear ch: U.S.: Bar bar a Br iggs, Cassie Lignelli, Shr eya Raghur am an, Cassie Rusnak Chinese Resear cher s m ust r em ain anonym ous Repor t Design: Cassie Rusnak
I nstitute for Global L abour and Human Rights 60 Boulevard of the Allies, 6 th Floor Pittsburgh, PA 15222 Tel: (412) 562-2406
www.globallabourrights.org
Email: inbox@glhr.org
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Working Conditions Work in all of Zhenyang?s production departments is constant and fast. Pressure to produce and make quota is enormous. The workers say that ?Bot h hands must be const ant l y moving.? Workers are required to work sitting down in all departments except for packing. They are not al l owed t o move f rom t heir work st at ions or even t o drink wat er. They have t o get a special pass t o use t he bat hroom, and each product ion l ine of 35 t o 50 workers onl y has one pass. There are many heal t h and saf et y probl ems at Zhenyang, often specific to the factory?s various production departments. The factory has no health and safety committee.
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The Spray Paint Depart ment is l ocat ed on t he highest f l oor of t he buil ding, and even wit h t he windows wide open, it is excessivel y hot . In the spray paint department, the workers do not al ways have f ans. Nor do t hey have masks. The spray paint and printing workrooms are full of fumes. Spray paint and printing workers told our researchers that the paints they use have harmf ul chemical s, incl uding al cohol , phenyl enediamine, and sodium peroxide. Workers just st art ing in t his depart ment of t en f eel nauseous, dizzy, and have headaches. Some can?t t ake it , and appl y t o swit ch t o a dif f erent depart ment or just quit .
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In t he Assembl y Depart ment , each product ion l ine is made up of bet ween 35 and 50 peopl e. The work stations and aisles are very crowded. There are piles of product in the fire escape areas? a serious saf et y hazard. The assembly department and the warehouse also have l ocks on t heir f ire saf et y doors!
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The Hiring Process -
Since there is a high turnover rate, with many workers quitting the factory, management is always trying to hire new workers, especially in peak season.
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Management hires workers at the main gate between 8:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. each day. The factory has also contracted with a staffing company for t emp and st udent workers.
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During the hiring process, workers also must have their photos taken, for which they pay 10 RMB ($1.57 USD). They are also required to pay 5 RMB (79 cent s US) for a bank card and a 20 RMB ($3.14) deposit for a cafeteria card in order to eat in the factory cafeteria.
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Af t er a short t raining, workers are given t heir of f icial badges and sent t o work. They have no idea what t hey are doing. This is a serious issue f or workers who are in dangerous depart ment s. (Workers are assigned their manufacturing departments. They are not allowed to choose their own department.)
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Depending on senority, workers can receive 50 to 100 RMB ($7.85 t o $15.71) a month for perfect attendance.
All workers must undergo a physical exam. Workers say the exams are pretty sketchy. They say the clinic has poor facilities and is located in an isolated area. They must pay 40 RMB ($6.28 USD) for the exam. The l abor cont ract is just a sheet of bl ank paper. There is not hing on it , and workers are t ol d t o ?just sign it .?
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Temp & Student Workers -
The factory employs about 800 t emp and st udent workers. The workers are disbursed among the inject ion mol ding, spray paint , print ing and assembl y depart ment s. Temps must be between 18 and 30 years of age. In general, the t emps are al l f emal e. A male worker may be accepted if he brings two female workers with him.
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St udent s and t emp workers are not provided wit h any t raining. They do not sign any f orms. Like t he regul ar workers, t hey t oil 12 hour shif t s.
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Temps who do not work a full three months are required to pay a management f ee of 300 RMB ($47.13)!
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Test i m on y of a St u d en t W or k er "On day tw o, w e star ted w or k . A m ass of people ar r ived in the w or kshop. I w as sitting at the w or k station and I felt ner vous. We w er e m aking a toy gun. M y w or k involved doing quality contr ol. Fir st I had to inspect a sm all piece, and then I had to put on som e lubr icating oil. By the end of the day, I w as cover ed in oil.
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After a w hile, I got to know ever yone w or king on the line. The w or k w as easier to take after getting to know som e of the w or ker s, especially som e of the older m en and w om en. Of this w hole exper ience of w or king in Dongguan, the only thing I don?t r egr et is m eeting my fellow w or ker s. They knew that the factor y gave us lousy food. So, ever y w eekend they invited us to their houses for m eals.
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Factory Facilities The Zhenyang factory has a total of f ive manuf act uring buil dings, each of them with five floors. The first floors of the manufacturing buildings are for the inject ion mol ding depart ment s. Assembly and quality control take up the other floors of the buildings.
The work areas are very crowded. The stairwells up to the work rooms are narrow and get very crowded. Page 18 Institute for Global Labour and Human Rights
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There are al so six worker dorm buil dings wit h six f l oors each. The male and female dorms are in the same buildings. People can freely come and go from the dorm buildings. But t his can af f ect t he workers?saf et y and privacy. The top floors are for married couples and management personnel. Mostly these floors are reserved for managers and their families, not regular workers.
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There are no washing machines in the dorms. The bathrooms have basins where workers wash their clothes by hand and then hang them to dry.
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There is no heat or air condit ioning in the Zhenyang factory or its dormitories. Guangdong can get cold in the winter (down to the 40s Fahrenheit ), especially from December through March.
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Peak Season Wages and Hour s Forced and excessive overt ime is t he norm. Workers cannot t ake sick l eave. They are f orced t o work il l . It is common f or managers t o shout at t he workers. Workers report that bosses are often wildly aggressive and confrontational. Peak season runs f rom April t hrough Oct ober. During these seven months, the workers earn between 2,900 RMB ($455.55) and 3,500 RMB ($549.81) per month? or between $3,188.85 and $2,848.67 for the entire seven-month period. During peak season the workers are required to toil 11 hours a day (eight regular hours plus three hours overtime), six days a week for a work week of 66 hours. (Most workers receive one day off a week, generally Sundays.)
Slack Season Wages and Hour s Sl ack Season runs f or f ive mont hs, November t hrough March. During slack season, the workers earn between 1,800 RMB ($282.76) and 2,500 RMB ($392.72) per month? or between $1,413.80 and $1,963.60 for the full five months.
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The top floors are for married couples and management personnel. Mostly these floors are reserved for managers and their families, not regular workers.
One male worker has been at the Dongguan Zhenyang factory for two full years. Right now he earns a l ot of overt ime? up t o 3,000 RMB t o 3,500 RMB ($471.26 t o $549.81) per month. When management takes out his insurance, he is left with about 3,200 RMB ($502.68).
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He volunteers for a lot of overtime, when he can earn 13.02 RMB ($2.05) an hour, or double time on weekends for 17.36 RMB ($2.73) an hour. ?I also have a child,? he told us, ?and I pay for him? school tuition and more. I can skip meals, but I don?t want to deprive my child. At the end of the month, I don?t have much money left!?
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I n t er v i ew w i t h a W or k er at Zh en y an g ?Now it?s peak season and it is hard to take time off. ?If you take sick leave, they will cut your wages. ??Dark factories?are like this. We long term workers get 100 RMB [$15.71] a month in bonuses. But if the boss is angry, he will cancel the bonuses.
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?People at the top don?t care about low-level workers. All they care about is getting the products out the door. They tell us: ?Why are you complaining? When you have to work overtime, you don?t want to. When there is no overtime, you complain to us again!? ?The managers are mean! They are insane. They freak out and scream at workers for the smallest things.
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Addenda Dongguan Zhenyang Factory and its International Clients Chinese Production for Export and Global Warming Products Photographed in the Zhenyang Factory
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Zhenyang's International Clients Disney 500 S Buena Vista St Burbank, CA 91521 Phone: (818) 560-1000 Fax: (818) 560-1930 Robert A Iger, Chairman and CEO
Jakks Pacif ic (Licensee for Disney) 2951 28th St Santa Monica, CA, 90405
Leslie Ferraro, President, Disney Consumer Products
Phone: (424) 268-9444
Email: DCP@DisneyStore.com
Anne-Marie Feliciano, Corporate Communications
www.thewaltdisneycompany.com
Stephen G. Berman, President and CEO
Disney/Jakks toys produced at Zhenyang: Disney ?Frozen? Elsa?s Musical Snow Wand and others. MGA Ent ert ainment (Lal al oopsy) 16300 Roscoe Blvd., Suite 150 Van Nuys, CA 91406 Phone: (818) 894-2525
Hasbro, Inc.
Isaac Larian, CEO International Distributor: Headstart International Pty Ltd. Phone: +61 3 9862 9600
1027 Newport Avenue Pawtucket, RI 02862 Phone: 401-727-5401 Brian Goldner, Chairman and CEO
MGA Lalaloopsy toys produced at Zhenyang: Lalaloopsy Minis Super Silly Party Musical Cake Playset, Lalaloopsy Light Up Pony, Lalaloopsy Potty Surprise.
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Hasbro toys produced at Zhenyang: Nerf ?Super Soaker Scatter Blast,? Nerf ?Vortex Proton Blaster? squirt guns and Angry Birds ?Star Wars Han Solo Launcher toy pellet gun.
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Dirty Toys Chinese Production for Expor t and Global War ming China is by far the world?s largest emitter of carbon dioxide (CO2 ), a powerful greenhouse gas contributing to global warming and climate change. And, between a f if t h and one-t hird of CO2 released in China comes from product ion of export s. In fact, CO2 emissions from China?s exports are often much great er t han f or t he same product s made in t he U.S. or Europe. This is largely due to China?s reliance on dirty coal for energy. Toys made at t he Zhenyang Wanju t oy f act ory in China provide a good exampl e. Propyl ene is one of the ingredients in the plastic used in many of the toys made at Zhenyang. Propylene production in China releases 18.4 t imes more gl obal warming COs on average than propylene produced in the European Union! Production of another common plastic, ABS (acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) in China results in an average of 3.2 t imes the carbon dioxide emissions into the earth?s atmosphere.
A paper published this w eek in the jour nal Natur e Clim ate Change builds on r esear ch into h ow m u ch of Ch i n a?s car bon di ox i de pol l u t i on i s cr eat ed by m ak i n g goods f or ex por t . Th e an sw er i s a l ot : Abou t a f i f t h t o a t h i r d of su ch em i ssi on s f r om Ch i n a cam e f r om m ak i n g ex por t s, accor ding to ear lier studies. The new paper adds detail to that r esear ch and concludes that w h i l e i t m i gh t be ch eaper t o m ak e t h i n gs i n Ch i n a, t h e cost i s m or e pol l u t i on t h an i f t h e goods w er e m ade el sew h er e.? ? ?China?s expor ts account for a lar ge am ount of gr eenhouse gases not just because the countr y
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happens to m ake so m uch for for eign m ar kets, but also because so m any of t h ose ex por t s h ave been m ade by u si n g r el at i vel y di r t y pr ocesses an d by bu r n i n g so m u ch coal , the r esear cher s say.? ? ?The author s say China?s expor ts entail significantly m or e em issions than if the sam e goods w er e m ade in Eur ope. M ak i n g a r an ge of pr odu ct s l i k e st eel , al u m i n u m an d pr opyl en e i n Ch i n a r esu l t s i n an aver age of 4.4 t i m es m or e car bon di ox i de em i ssi on s t h an i f t h e sam e pr odu ct s w er e m ade i n t h e Eu r opean Un i on , they say. - New Yor k Tim es, ?China?s Expor ts ar e Closely Linked to Its Em issions,? October 1, 2015
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Products in the Zhenyang Factor y Hasbro (Nerf)
Ner f Super Soaker Scatter Blast Pr oduct Num ber : 28498 M anufactur er : Hasbr o
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Angr y Bir ds Star War s Han Solo Launcher Pr oduct Num ber : A2631
Walmart - $21.99 Amazon - $19.99
M anufactur er : Hasbr o Photos from the Zhenyang factory
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Wubble Bubble (by NSI International)
Photos from the packing department in Zhenyang factory
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L alaloopsy (by MGA Entertainment)
Worker trimming plastic Lalaloopsy cakes in the Zhenyang factory Page 44 Institute for Global Labour and Human Rights
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L alaloopsy (by MGA Entertainment)
Lalaloopsy Light Up Ponies Pr oduct Num ber : 524694 M anufactur er : M GA Enter tainm ent Target - $14.19 Amazon- $14.48
Photo from the Zhenyang factory
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Battat
Lil' Woodzeez Happy Cam per Pr oduct Num ber : 6116D M anufactur er : Battat Target - $30.99
Photos from the Zhenyang factory
Amazon - $39.95 Kmart Australia - $39.00
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Smoby (Simba-Dickie Group)
"Car s" WGP Wor kbench M anufactur er : Sm oby
Photos from the Zhenyang factory
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