Shawn Fain Is Right: The Workweek Should Be Shorter
Shawn Fain Is Right: The Workweek Should Be Shorter
UAW president Shawn Fain has called for a 32-hour workweek. It’s the revival of an old vision in the US labor movement — and the sort of ambition overworked and underpaid employees need.
“How the hell is it that when you’re talking about financial workers or white-collar workers, this is acceptable?” said Fain at a recent strike preparation conference. Noting that many corporate leaders are still working remotely, he added, “It’s okay for them but goddammit, when we ask for the same thing, for some fair treatment and some fucking work-life balance, what do they say to us? They say, ‘You don’t deserve it.’”
I like this guy
Unions seem like the most viable way for us to organize.
100%. Strong unions make strong businesses.
As someone who just saw his work week go from 40 hours to 45 hours with no additional pay, I wouldn’t mind this. It’s not as simple as people think, but it’s surely manageable if companies wanted it to work.
I don't think I would even be less productive if I had to work only 3 or 4 days. I could focus / crunch more because I know that I have more time to rest.
We had this situation during covid where we could only work 3 days a week, and it was kinda nice since nobody was slacking and it was satisfying to just get things done... and then enjoy the long weekends.
Ever read Bullshit Jobs by David Graeber.
Read the original article to get the basics of the idea. But I also recommend all of his books.
I've heard on the radio this mentioned as part of the negotiations for the new contract with the auto companies and thought this was a sort of tactic to ask for more so they can settle higher, but I'd love to see this be a sincere goal. Given all the productivity gains over the decades, we should actually be at 3-day work weeks of 24 hours, but 32-hour 4-day work weeks would still be a lot better than the awful situation we're in right now.