>It's a real puzzle why the demand for a shorter work week has not caught on here in the US, particularly because ir has been successful in France and Germany,
It seems Americans are a nation of scabs. According to Jack London, in War of the Classes, Anyone who gives "more for less" is a scab. He particularly noted that American workers were guilty of this offense, undercutting the wages of European workers by being hugely more productive.
Shame on you. ;-)
> It;s worth noting that the European social democracies average about 6 weeks of paid vacation a year, mandated by law. Yet in the US work hours have been steadily rising, while wages have been falling since '73, except for a period in the 90s, when they ticked up on the bubble. The downward trend has now resumed, isn't that right, Doug? In my grim, dour, Puritan way, I think people do need negative incentives like the threat of bankruptcy and lost profits, and indeed lawsuits, to keep their mind on their work, as well as positive incentives like profits, which many of you regard as even worse than the negative ones.
You really should read London's book Justin, he explains that he also started out with the same work ethic as you are afflicted with, the same manly pride in giving a fair days work for a fair day's pay, he swallowed the whole thing hook line and sinker.
> But I think we could do with a 3-4 day work week, or a five-six hr workday. German and freench workers have hammered their workweeks down to 35 and 39 hrs respectively. Why not us?
I'm doing my bit, I refuse to work at all. (Or at least I'm holding out for what may appear unrealistic pay and conditions, given my meagre job skills.) But unfortunately one man just can't compensate for the fact that Australian workers have taken to scabbing lately too. The average work week here has climbed dramatically in the last few years.
Its positively un-Australian!
Bill Bartlett Bracknell Tas