Four Day Work Week

[QuarterMillionMan]

Unionized workforces, or those with collective bargaining agreements, are exempt.

I didn't know about this but this would kill it for me. I work for big government in Los Angeles and knowing this it looks like I will still need to work 40 hours if it passes. I work in a protective services department which I won't say much more except we often get calls for service from law enforcement such as a person was abused and needs us to take protective custody of the victim. I was looking forward to only working 32 hours a week.

[disneysteve]

Welcome to our posh hotel - there are the luggage carts, feel free to help yourself to one to haul your bags up to your room.

LOL, I'd actually love if this became the norm. The one reason I hate staying at nicer hotels is that they refuse to let me grab a luggage cart and move my own bags. They insist on doing it for me. Drives me crazy.

[myrdale]

Furthermore, employers would be prohibited from reducing workers' current pay rate, so they'd be paid the same for working 20% less.

I'm pretty sure I've read this plot already in Atlas Shrugged. It didn't end well for Twentieth Century Motor Company.

[GoodLiving]

Contractually, my job is 35 hours a week but often I work over. I have considering changing jobs but I know I won't find it better anywhere else. I'm just holding out until I can be like DisneySteve!

[SavingBucks]

QMM -- Totally agree with you. I retired from LA big gov't in December taking a SIP offered due to the pandemic. Co-workers in my field cannot work less than 40 as well since Contractors work 40+ hours. My daughter is with a prive Contractor with no union or agreements. She is salaried and currently works about 50 hours a week depending on the stage of the project. Her working hours work not change. I think productivity in general in CA has already taken a nosedive in some areas and this trend would continue with passage of that bill.

[veronak]

Working in HR I must say I’m an advocate for this, in general employees actually work less, in many cases, than 40 hours

[ua_guy]

Working in HR I must say I’m an advocate for this, in general employees actually work less, in many cases, than 40 hours

I'd be curious to hear more of your thoughts on this. In my own line of work which is IT/software sitting in front of a computer all day, I know that some colleagues work more and some work less. The norm appears to be to work more hours, but the actual productivity may or may not be indicative of that.

And there's this idea that work is neatly boxed into 40 hours per week. For some people their work can be boxed in like that, and time spent working versus productivity has a linear relationship.

[disneysteve]

Working in HR I must say I’m an advocate for this, in general employees actually work less, in many cases, than 40 hours

It struck me that this thread and the "Double Dipping" thread are going on simultaneously: https://www.savingadvice.com/forums/...double-dipping

The fact that people are finding they can work two full time jobs at the same time speaks to this topic of a full time job becoming less than 40 hours. If this 32-hr proposal passes, I wonder how common it will become for people to find themselves two full time positions so they can work 64 hours/week and make a ton more money.

[myrdale]

If this 32-hr proposal passes, I wonder how common it will become for people to find themselves two full time positions so they can work 64 hours/week and make a ton more money.

This is a recipe for poverty and disaster.

A family that is relying on two 40 hour per week jobs is suddenly cut to 32 hours per week. Their income has been sliced by 20 percent. Their retirement savings potentially slashed by even more.

To make up the difference they both get second jobs. Except now, full time yeah they are working 64 hours total, but when are they working this second job? Nights? Weekends?

Less time for family. Less time leisure. Less time to just decompress.

Also they only needed 8 additional hours at the second job to break even. But now when they hit 9 hours, guess what, No Overtime.

[Petunia 100]

I didn't know about this but this would kill it for me. I work for big government in Los Angeles and knowing this it looks like I will still need to work 40 hours if it passes. I work in a protective services department which I won't say much more except we often get calls for service from law enforcement such as a person was abused and needs us to take protective custody of the victim. I was looking forward to only working 32 hours a week.

Well, assuming that this bill were to pass, I think it would be no time at all until collective bargaining units began to incorporate the new normal into their contracts.

[Petunia 100]

This is a recipe for poverty and disaster.

A family that is relying on two 40 hour per week jobs is suddenly cut to 32 hours per week. Their income has been sliced by 20 percent. Their retirement savings potentially slashed by even more.

To make up the difference they both get second jobs. Except now, full time yeah they are working 64 hours total, but when are they working this second job? Nights? Weekends?

Less time for family. Less time leisure. Less time to just decompress.

Also they only needed 8 additional hours at the second job to break even. But now when they hit 9 hours, guess what, No Overtime.

This bill requires that they be paid the same.

[Petunia 100]

If California politicians thought it up, it's usually a terrible idea.

A 4 day work week should be mandatory for everyone at this point. Everyone wants to go green and save the planet, how much carbon emissions would this save by 1 less commute day a week? This goes to show you that the climate movement is all about who wins in politics. They couldn't care less about the environment. They care about a W..

What does W stand for?

[myrdale]

This bill requires that they be paid the same.

Well that has to be the single most dishonest idea I have heard in a long time.

Today, you earn $20 per hour and work 40 hours, at the end of the week you are paid $800.

In the new system, you work 32 hours and you're still paid $800??? Your pay rate is now $25 per hour. The government has forced a 20% raise all employees of a private company.

The company now has to pay $1,000 for the same 40 hours of work!!

What do you think increasing labor cost by 20% across the board is going to do to businesses?

[myrdale]

What does W stand for?

I believe it is a "Win". Specifically because he was discussing political election outcomes in the place of the environment.

[Petunia 100]

It sounds like an elitist plan dreamed up by those who've never worked a job where physical presence and labor is required. Your house is on fire? Grab a garden hose. You're having a heart attack? Sure hope your spouse knows CPR. Welcome to our posh hotel - there are the luggage carts, feel free to help yourself to one to haul your bags up to your room. You're hungry? Well, those seasonal 40 hour a week packing line jobs got cut back to 20, and you know our crews are doing their best to juggle multiple jobs, but here's a ladder and bucket and we have a great price on pick your own today!

Are emergency services only available 40 hours per week where you live? In most places, emergency services are available 24/7 and thus are not limited any particular employee's work schedule. By state law, farm laborers have a 60 hour work week. Although I doubt it, I would love to see this law change as it is horribly unfair. And you do realize that this law would not prohibit working more than 32 hours per week? Rather, it requires that overtime kicks in past 32 hours.

I think that a good argument opposing this proposed bill can be made, but this particular argument is not it.