Imagine how radical the concept of moving from a 6 to a 5-day workweek sounded in 1926

[NNN0LHI]

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090323052616AAv4Hxf

History

In most cultures which have a seven-day week, either Saturday or Sunday is the traditional day of rest, and Friday for most countries of the Middle East. Yet in countries such as Australia, U.S. and UK the weekend is considered Friday night, Saturday and Sunday, with the workweek beginning on Monday.

The American concept of the weekend has its roots in labor union attempts to accommodate Jewish workers who took Saturday instead of Sunday as their Sabbath. The first five-day work week was instituted by a New England cotton mill for this reason.

In 1926 Henry Ford began shutting down his automotive factories for all of Saturday and Sunday. In 1929 the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America was the first union to demand a five-day work week and receive it. After that, the rest of the United States slowly followed, but it wasn't until 1940 that the two-day weekend began nationwide.

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http://www.blogher.com/five-day-work-week-about-become-obsolete


Is The Five Day Work Week About To Become Obsolete?.
June 01, 2008 3:34 pm
by Elana Centor in Career

<snip>Imagine what you could do with an extra 52 days off each year. With a four-day workweek: • More jobs might be created, by businesses that must be open certain hours. • Companies closed an extra day each week would save on janitorial services, energy bills and increasing security costs. • As stress falls, so might disability claims. • There would be less absentee time, as employees could schedule doctor and personal appointments on their extra day off. • Morale would improve, which always benefits productivity.

[Brickbat]

1. Our school district went to a four-day week this year to "balance a budget."

It did so by cutting the fifth day for support staff, janitors, and bus service. I'm all for a four-day week, as long as that doesn't mean cutting wages and salaries by 20 percent.

[pnwmom]

2. I'd be willing to go 4 day even with a commensurate cut in pay.

Though I realize many people couldn't afford that.

On the other hand, the millions of people currently out of work might benefit.

[Brickbat]

3. Yeah, the whole thing would have to be done very carefully.

Mr. Brickbat worked in construction, where a lot of companies were moving to four 10-hour days and some were even considering three 12-hour days. There are pros and cons both ways, obviously. Mr. Brickbat is now in an industry where he's on call 24/7/365, works 12- to 14-hour shifts and has no set schedule, so it's a moot point for us anymore.

[doc03]

8. We took a 30% pay cut where I worked for a year one time

and actually it didn't hurt as much as I thought it would. By cutting my pay 30% it reduced my taxes considerably and I quit contributing 15% to my 401k so I actually took home about the same money.

[HipChick]

4. In this day and age, working from home should be a viable option

I've been able to work remotely for the last decade. The technology infrastructre is there to support it, have a 1 min commute to get out of bed and get to my laptop.

[stray cat]

5. A 4 day work week for 4 days pay?

[NNN0LHI]

6. Yes. Four 8 hour days of work for the current 40 hours of pay

[doc03]

7. When the steel industry was really hurting back in the early

80s we took up a petition to go to a 4 day week to reduce layoffs. The people that worked the highest paying jobs said they couldn't make it on 4 days pay. A laborer making $50 a day could do it but not a roller making $200.