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The idea of a shorter work week has merits, but...
but being used as a solution for producing an excess of likely workers isn't one of them.
At least not without a concurrent and real scheme to reduce those raw numbers.
Yes, that is the rub. But if artificial intelligence and robotics eliminate as many jobs as is being predicted, who's going to pay for so many people being unemployed. I don't know what the answer is, but I think we are at a sea change.
This can only happen if we massively strengthen the labor union movement, sadly. We are eons behind the rest of the developed world when it comes to labor rights. We dont even require employers to provide paid vacation and paid overtime for all their employees. Thats a result of destroyed labor unions. Rebuild the unions and workers will not get so easily riled up and vote for crazy people for Congress. Unions have a civilizing effect on society like nothing else has.
I think we have a better chance of getting universal healthcare than this.
Americans are workaholics. When vacation in America is what it is, when the leave for giving birth is 6 weeks only working 30 hrs per week seems a far fetched dream.
We decide this, through market forces. If businesses and workers naturally agree, it will happen. That is the debating and voting mechanism.
Market forces certainly didn't bring about the forty hour week, nor did market forces bring much to the table with regard to most of labor's struggles. Political power was the force which allowed a safer and saner American workplace to emerge from early day draconian labor norms. Unions, through their political affiliation, fought to have a say in the workplace, the corporate class fought back, and the fight continues to this day, although at a low ebb due to the fact that modern day workers have become un-organized while capital and corporate power has become ever more consolidated.
As people become displaced by machine labor we won't see the presence of market forces stepping up to compensate them for their lack of income, this is already happening and our government/business cabal has little to offer those whose lives are thoroughly disrupted by an unplanned "retirement" or those who are simply dismissed as the new economically marginalized denizens of our growing tent communities. No, "The Market" has no plan, no vision, and, for that matter, no concern for labor whatsoever.
In light of our bloody labor history I'd think that most people would be very surprised to see any lessening of today's workplace woes without a hard fight, anything that doesn't directly benefit the bottom line won't be taken seriously by most of the corporate royalty, and we shouldn't ever expect that some type of modern day "enlightenment" would ever visit the boardrooms of America's corporations.
Labor has been viewed negatively by those in power, and when organized-- seen as a threat to the established order wherein money and social position automatically trumped any consideration for the worker. Working less and enjoying one's life more is the sole domain of the privileged class, they have that prerogative from birth, and that reality is piggybacked onto the long held notion of class, not market forces..
I don't know what the answer is, but I think we are at a sea change.
I believe the answer is in having fewer people generally. Maybe a LOT fewer people.
But especially fewer people in the lower quintile's -most affected by all this.
It's not a new idea but yes it is still a sea change in perspective.
Conveniently... the change should improve just about everything else in society as well.
There are people who needs to work 40hrs a week because 30 hours wouldn't cut it for them.Unless of course they increase the pay raises to compensate losing out on 10hrs a week.
There are people who needs to work 40hrs a week because 30 hours wouldn't cut it for them.Unless of course they increase the pay raises to compensate losing out on 10hrs a week.
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