[아이뉴스24 박지은 기자] It was revealed that TSMC, a Taiwanese semiconductor consignment manufacturing (foundry) company, is experiencing cultural conflicts with local residents after entering the United States, including at its Arizona plant, and was even sued for discriminating against American employees.
Panoramic view of the TSMC plant located in Phoenix, Arizona, USA. [사진=TSMC 애리조나 홈페이지 캡처]
According to a recent Forbes report, 12 current and former TSMC employees filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, accusing TSMC of anti-American discrimination.
Deborah Howington, a former TSMC talent acquisition executive, filed a lawsuit against TSMC and the Arizona plant last August, and 12 current and former employees joined as plaintiffs.
The plaintiff said, “There was an intentional pattern of employment discrimination against individuals who were not of East Asian ethnicity or Taiwanese or Chinese nationality, and it was entrenched as a practice within the company,” and “There was discrimination in hiring, staffing, promotion, retention and firing decisions.” “This was done,” he claimed.
There were also claims that TSMC primarily used Chinese in its U.S. factories and alienated American employees.
The explanation is that some meetings were conducted in Chinese, making it difficult for employees whose native language was English to perform their work.
Daniel Kochen, the plaintiff’s attorney, said, “TSMC has agreed to receive $6 billion (approximately 8.4 trillion won) in federal subsidies from the U.S. government and has decided to compete in the U.S., so it must comply with federal anti-discrimination laws and allow all races, nationalities, and “It is essential to treat citizens equally,” he said.
In response, a TSMC spokesperson said, “TSMC strongly believes in the value of a diverse workforce and hires and promotes employees regardless of gender, religion, race, nationality, or political stance.”
TSMC has been experiencing cultural conflicts with American employees since the construction phase of its Arizona plant.
Looking at the American job site Glassdoor, TSMC’s star rating is only 3.1.
It maintained a score of 4 until early 2021, before the start of its U.S. business, but its score plummeted as the number of employees hired at the Arizona plant increased.
Employees at TSMC’s Arizona plant said the company had “no advantages other than pay,” “horrible management,” and “a poor training system.”
One TSMC employee wrote, “Taiwan’s work culture is different from the United States,” and “The minimum working hours are 10 hours, but realistically, we work up to 12 hours.”
Also, “TSMC does not respect individual freedom. “The housing provided by the company has a curfew for visiting guests,” he added.
Meanwhile, TSMC founder Morris Chang met with reporters after attending the 96th anniversary ceremony of the opening of National Taiwan University and said, “We will not hold the Arizona factory completion ceremony.”
/Reporter Park Ji-eun (qqji0516@inews24.com)
