Portside

In 2017, President Donald Trump and the Wisconsin GOP struck a deal with Foxconn that promised to turn Southeastern Wisconsin into a tech manufacturing powerhouse. Three years later, the factory — and the jobs — don’t exist, and probably never will.

What if, on the front end of corporate subsidies, the workers and residents on whose behalf deals such as that made with Foxconn in Wisconsin and Amazon in New York are ostensibly made, had a chance to weigh in?

If Foxconn establishes production in Wisconsin it will be in a highly automated capital-intensive facility that would not create anywhere near the number of jobs being bandied about. CEO Terry Gou clearly stated, "Automation, software and technology innovation will be our key focus in the U.S. in the coming few years.”Here’s reality: Cyber component manufacturing with large numbers of employees has mainly occurred in low-wage, marginally regulated countries.

There has been much printed about how Foxconn treats workers in China. Here is new information about Foxconn in the Czech Republic and Turkey.

Conditions for 70,000 workers at Pegatron plants allegedly worse than those reported in the Foxconn scandal.