In 2020, a $65 billion investment was planned by TSMC for the construction of three chip-production facilities that would be set up in Phoenix, Arizona. An ambitious move that would not just bring wafer manufacturing to American soil but also employ thousands of workers locally. Unfortunately, the largest semiconductor firm is in hot waters for seemingly favoring its Taiwanese workers, which has led to a lawsuit against the company over unlawful favoritism.
As reported by Forbes, the lawsuit was initially filed in August by Deborah Howington, a current talent acquisition executive at TSMC, in California’s Northern District Court. Howington, being a member of TSMC’s HR leadership, would likely provide an impartial overview of what was happening at the Arizona facility, claiming that a culture of unlawful discriminatory practices that involved favoring Taiwanese employees was taking place. Eventually, twelve more employees joined the lawsuit, claiming similar allegations.
TSMC founder Morris Chang believes that this controversy exists because there is a lack of manufacturing talent in the U.S. Then again, there are around 2,200 workers currently stationed at the Arizona plant, with more than half hailing from Taiwan. Howington stated that TSMC secretly made arrangements with an ‘Asian headhunter’ who would provide the firm with Taiwanese candidates for U.S. jobs. It is possible that these Taiwanese workers would be offered better compensation on foreign soil compared to what they would receive on their home turf, which would disgruntle the American workers even more.
The plaintiff group’s attorney, Daniel Kotchen, a partner at the law firm Kotchen & Low, informed Forbes that TSMC should comply with federal
Read more on wccftech.com