Federal proposal for 32-hour workweek gets traction in Congress

[Saint Frankenstein]

Art and crochet (selling these things). It in my opinion is rather unfortunate to have both of these for your wrists begin to vanish over time with the latter and sometimes with the former, moreover it is sedentary which is like death.

No, and I doubt I ever will even if not successful. I have autism and can not be in an intensely social environment for more than 3 months without it becoming vicious due to my defects. If it's a solitary job maybe but even then I'd much rather remain in my class and labor under my own soul than that.

Okay, so you are romanticizing something you've never done. It's not worth romanticizing wage slavery, which breaks down your body and your mind.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Many people can't make it on 40 hours but would get overtime over 32 hours..
What are your thoughts on this?

"This week, the Congressional Progressive Caucus with nearly 100 lawmakers endorsed a bill that would cut the work week from 40 to 32 hours. The bill would require overtime pay after 32 hours."

Story here..
Federal proposal for 32-hour workweek gets traction in Congress

When I worked in retail, I worked with a bunch of people trying to make a full time living with two 20-hour-a-week part time jobs.

I hope the details of this bill have measures to disincentivize this sort of tactic from employers.

 

[Lain]

Okay, so you are romanticizing something you've never done. It's not worth romanticizing wage slavery, which breaks down your body and your mind.

It is not how I have seen it discussed by the brethren so I have assumed that the experience is like doing 6 days and 10 hours as I will to do, but it may not be the case. I'll see as I live.

 

[Quetzal]

Well that makes a lot more sense to me, thank you for explaining it thoroughly. What I do is like what I'd imagine taking drugs is like, "euphoric," "soothing," "steady," and "silent ritual" come to mind to describe it, not "stress."

This also explains to me why I have seen so many people I know bounce around from job-to-job, I had assumed (evil habit) that it was some kind of lack of fidelity to their boss, but now I think it's probably this.

You're welcome! I am happy you have something that makes you feel that way. I will admit... I am a bit envious.

 

[Trailblazer]

I understand.

The reason people here are resistant to working more is that... well.. corporate work is a soul sucking experience. Imagine that you have a job. The work is reasonable and you like it well enough. You have a good year and do a good job. The following year you are given more responsibilities and your job becomes more stressful. You may get a raise, but most don't. Repeat this process for a few years with increasing responsibilities. The only way to realistically reset the process is to change jobs.

This cycle is what corporate America is like. It is rough.

Thanks for explaining that. I have no conception of what it would be like to work in a corporation because I always worked for the government, for 44 years and I am still working. First I worked for the county for a year, then the federal government for 10 years, then the state for about 33 years.

I went back to school for a second Masters degree because I thought I wanted to start my own counseling business but that never worked out because of things that prevented me from quitting my state job. Later I was glad it did not work out because I got another state job I really liked. I could have retired three years ago but I like my job so much I decided to keep working.

I probably would have retired in 2020 if Covid-19 had not happened, but now that I have been approved to work at home on a permanent basis I am in no hurry to retire. I have no hopes and dreams for retirement because I cannot travel owing to my husband who is much older than me and has health problems, and I have eight Persian cats I would not want to leave to travel. So I just live one day at a time and at home all the time except for grocery shopping twice a week. It is a pretty boring life but it would be stressful for me to take on any more activities because it would just be more to get anxious about, and I have anxiety. Three houses and eight cats and a husband is all I can handle!

 

[We Never Know]

Instead of addressing different posts at different times...

Did any of you grow up on a farm. If you weren't in school, or working an after school job, you were working on the farm with the animals, hayfield, cutting wood, working on equipment, etc.
Your time off was pretty much while you were asleep. And yes I did.

 

[Quetzal]

Thanks for explaining that. I have no conception of what it would be like to work in a corporation because I always worked for the government, for 44 years and I am still working. First I worked for the county for a year, then the federal government for 10 years, then the state for about 33 years.

I went back to school for a second Masters degree because I thought I wanted to start my own counseling business but that never worked out because of things that prevented me from quitting my state job. Later I was glad it did not work out because I got another state job I really liked. I could have retired three years ago but I like my job so much I decided to keep working.

I probably would have retired in 2020 if Covid-19 had not happened, but now that I have been approved to work at home on a permanent basis I am in no hurry to retire. I have no hopes and dreams for retirement because I cannot travel owing to my husband who is much older than me and has health problems, and I have eight Persian cats I would not want to leave to travel. So I just live one day at a time and at home all the time except for grocery shopping twice a week. It is a pretty boring life but it would be stressful for me to take on any more activities because it would just be more to manage.

Sure and I understand why you feel the way that you do. I worked for the government as a student in college for about a year. I tried to get back in for years. I could never even get past the automated screening processes they have setup now. Its a gamed system and I got frustrated. So... to corporate America I went. It sucks sometimes.

 

[Quetzal]

Instead of addressing different posts at different times...

Did any of you grow up on a farm. If you weren't in school, or working an after school job, you were working on the farm with the animals, hayfield, cutting wood, working on equipment, etc.
Your time off was pretty much while you were asleep.

I haven't, I am too big of a sissy for that line of work. (Big props to those who do it.)

 

[Trailblazer]

Sure and I understand why you feel the way that you do. I worked for the government as a student in college for about a year. I tried to get back in for years. I could never even get past the automated screening processes they have setup now. Its a gamed system and I got frustrated. So... to corporate America I went. It sucks sometimes.

I guess I just got lucky. I got a federal job pretty easily in 1978 and I stayed in for 10 years, and although I changed jobs a couple of times, I always stayed in the same field. Then I quit to go back to school but I needed a job to support myself through school so I got a state job, thinking it would only be temporary. That was luck too because that job just happened to be open when I was looking. It was all well and good until 2002 when I got bumped into a lower level position in another field due to state budget cuts, and I was in that horrible job for eight years. I consider it a miracle that I finally got a job in the state back in my field.

 

[Quetzal]

I guess I just got lucky. I got a federal job pretty easily in 1978 and I stayed in for 10 years, and although I changed jobs a couple of times, I always stayed in the same field. Then I quit to go back to school but I needed a job to support myself through school so I got a state job, thinking it would only be temporary. That was luck too because that job just happened to be open when I was looking. It was all well and good until 2002 when I got bumped into a lower level position in another field due to state budget cuts, and I was in that horrible job for eight years. I consider it a miracle that I finally got a job in the state back in my field.

That's great! I think I could give it another try since I got my masters. Maybe that will help. I also never took the time to learn the USAJOBS system, again, thats on me.

 

[Trailblazer]

Did any of you grow up on a farm.

No, but when I was growing up in Indiana I always wanted to go and see the farms in the country. I can see myself doing hard labor because I love physical work. But I also like mental work and there are only so many hours in a day.

 

[We Never Know]

I haven't, I am too big of a sissy for that line of work. (Big props to those who do it.)

I did and at times it sucked but it was part of life.

 

[Trailblazer]

That's great! I think I could give it another try since I got my masters. Maybe that will help. I also never took the time to learn the USAJOBS system, again, thats on me.

I don't know what your field is but don't give up. I don't know about federal jobs but the state where I live is always hiring. You just have to apply for everything and be patient. If I had not been very patient and tolerant I would have quit that bad state job I had and I probably never would have gotten the job I got after that, the job I have now.

 

[Koldo]

I think it is because they want more time for recreation, but some of us don't care about recreation, as we would rather work and feel like we are accomplishing something.

Of course most people have families and friends and like to spend time with them and I can understand that, but that is not my situation.

I genuinely feel sorry for you if you neither appreciate recreation nor feel like you can accomplish things outside of your work.

 

[Twilight Hue]

I genuinely feel sorry for you if you neither appreciate recreation nor feel like you can accomplish things outside of your work.

I agree.

I prefer recreation. Doing something I love to do for myself. ;0)

If it is monetizing, all the better since the saying goes if you love your job, then you won't have to ever work a day in your life again.

Unfortunately not everyone loves what they do in a work setting, and the scenario of the ultimate dream job is not very easy nor commonplace for most.

 

[PoetPhilosopher]

I tend to support the idea of a 32 hour work week while acknowledging that there may be a lot of challenges that come with such legislation.

 

[Trailblazer]

I genuinely feel sorry for you if you neither appreciate recreation nor feel like you can accomplish things outside of your work.

I might like recreation but I do not need recreation. I can certainly accomplish things outside of my paid work and I would rather accomplish things than sit around enjoying myself. Recreation is okay but service to others has more meaning and it is more rewarding.

 

[Stonetree]

6 days a week with 10 hour days actually sounds like a good work week to me. I consider escaping work (which seems to be what this proposal is about, I am not sure for like I said I barley understood it and felt insane while reading the links) inhuman and degrading because I think labor is a divine gift from God to man (see the last thing in my signature). As Pope St. John Paul II said:

"Work is a good thing for man (a good thing for his humanity) because through work man not only transforms nature, adapting it to his own needs, but he also achieves fulfilment as a human being and indeed, in a sense, becomes 'more a human being.'"

It brings spiritual joy in my opinion and makes people better, so if indeed this proposal is about doing less of it (I may have read everything entirely wrong) then I fail to understand why anyone would want to do that.

I worked that 6 day week ,11 hrs x 5 and 6.5 hrs on Saturday for a number of years. It was never being able to get any personal business easily done..The money was great but I never wanted to give up any private time to shop....lol

 

[The Hammer]

I personally fail to understand why the work week is so incredibly short already and people still want to make it shorter?

Reading both of those things I feel like I am insane and not understanding a lot of information because working four days a week sounds degrading to me and not human. I am confused as to what the benefits are. I need to study more, studying things has no end.

40 hours is short? Haha.

Not when you consider the average household also has about 40hours a week in chores (dishes, laundry, cleaning, cooking, etc). This means 80hours of work a week alone. Excluding children, and any other extracurriculars.

Edit: if you sleep 56 hours a week (8hrs a night), that leaves you 32 hours of personal time. That's recreation, shopping, relaxation/unwinding, hobbies etc. 4.5 hours a day to do everything else you ever want to do.

 

[The Hammer]

Instead of addressing different posts at different times...

Did any of you grow up on a farm. If you weren't in school, or working an after school job, you were working on the farm with the animals, hayfield, cutting wood, working on equipment, etc.
Your time off was pretty much while you were asleep. And yes I did.

Nope. But I did ten years in the military where I regularly pulled 90 hour weeks in port. And 130 hour weeks out to sea.

Never again will I run my body ragged like that.