this post was submitted on 14 Mar 2024
1621 points (98.5% liked)

News

23409 readers
2985 users here now

Welcome to the News community!

Rules:

1. Be civil


Attack the argument, not the person. No racism/sexism/bigotry. Good faith argumentation only. This includes accusing another user of being a bot or paid actor. Trolling is uncivil and is grounds for removal and/or a community ban. Do not respond to rule-breaking content; report it and move on.


2. All posts should contain a source (url) that is as reliable and unbiased as possible and must only contain one link.


Obvious right or left wing sources will be removed at the mods discretion. We have an actively updated blocklist, which you can see here: https://lemmy.world/post/2246130 if you feel like any website is missing, contact the mods. Supporting links can be added in comments or posted seperately but not to the post body.


3. No bots, spam or self-promotion.


Only approved bots, which follow the guidelines for bots set by the instance, are allowed.


4. Post titles should be the same as the article used as source.


Posts which titles don’t match the source won’t be removed, but the autoMod will notify you, and if your title misrepresents the original article, the post will be deleted. If the site changed their headline, the bot might still contact you, just ignore it, we won’t delete your post.


5. Only recent news is allowed.


Posts must be news from the most recent 30 days.


6. All posts must be news articles.


No opinion pieces, Listicles, editorials or celebrity gossip is allowed. All posts will be judged on a case-by-case basis.


7. No duplicate posts.


If a source you used was already posted by someone else, the autoMod will leave a message. Please remove your post if the autoMod is correct. If the post that matches your post is very old, we refer you to rule 5.


8. Misinformation is prohibited.


Misinformation / propaganda is strictly prohibited. Any comment or post containing or linking to misinformation will be removed. If you feel that your post has been removed in error, credible sources must be provided.


9. No link shorteners.


The auto mod will contact you if a link shortener is detected, please delete your post if they are right.


10. Don't copy entire article in your post body


For copyright reasons, you are not allowed to copy an entire article into your post body. This is an instance wide rule, that is strictly enforced in this community.

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] Nobody@lemmy.world 324 points 8 months ago (27 children)

Bernie: Here’s a bill that will help literally everyone. People waste less of their lives at work, and productivity goes up massively for the corporate overlords. There is no downside here for anyone.

Everyone: Shut up, hippy.

[–] givesomefucks@lemmy.world 83 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Everyone: Shut up, hippy.

They've been telling him that since he was being arrested for protesting for civil rights and Joe Biden was fighting against school busing...

Their stupid bullshit hasn't stopped him yet

[–] ChonkyOwlbear@lemmy.world 30 points 8 months ago (7 children)

Bernie is still the only politician I have donated to but to be fair to Biden, bussing was met with violent protests and even black activists criticized it for weakening black communities. There were good reasons to be against that method without being against desegregation.

load more comments (7 replies)
load more comments (26 replies)
[–] Yawweee877h444@lemmy.world 173 points 8 months ago (5 children)

We need this so fucking bad. As a species, not just America or the wealthy nations only. Everyone.

And this should just be a transitionary period down to a 24 or less hour work week. Fuck slaving away at shit jobs just to make billionaires.

[–] CosmicCleric@lemmy.world 61 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (21 children)

We need this so fucking bad.

Of course we do, so do the corporations, though they don't realize it. With happier workers you get more profits.

Call your House of Representative member and let them know that.

If we citizens don't apply the pressure, nothing will happen.

And if your cynical about doing that, try it anyway, just as an experiment, to see what happens. Hell, even make a YouTube video about your experience doing so, for content.

Just say "Please let my representative know that I am in favor of the Bernie Sanders bill (Thirty-Two Hour Workweek Act) for a 32 hour work week."

It's just a phone call. A 32 hour work week is worth a single phone call, right?

load more comments (21 replies)
[–] HessiaNerd@lemmy.world 50 points 8 months ago (1 children)

When COVID shut down my state (we were considered essential) we got furloughed one day a week. I was getting paid less so I was concerned, but it was honestly the best thing to happen to me. We started a garden, I got so much more done. I was healthier and happier.

Going back to 5 days a week, and longer commute (no more COVID clear freeways), I can absolutely feel my life shortening. I've gained a ton of weight, and increased stress significantly.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] bartolomeo@suppo.fi 26 points 8 months ago (4 children)

Yea, slaving away should be purely optional. If you love your job or you love money or you want to keep yourself distracted AND make money at the same time, by all means, knock yourself out and work 60 hour weeks.

It's a failure of the system if people have to work full time to scrape by with the very bare necessities and live in poverty, with all the nasties that come with it. America coined the term "working poor" (obligatory meme so we're on the same page)

load more comments (4 replies)
[–] AngryCommieKender@lemmy.world 25 points 8 months ago (3 children)

Looking at the productivity gains, vs income gains since 1970, I would say that we need an 8 hour work week. We are producing well over 7 times as much stuff and economic value as we were in 1970

[–] Emerald@lemmy.world 37 points 8 months ago (2 children)

We should produce less stuff.

[–] Yawweee877h444@lemmy.world 25 points 8 months ago (4 children)

The amount of shit that companies produce and then just throw away because it's cheaper than donating, is staggering. There was some report a while back about Amazon doing this. Truckloads of stuff that doesn't sell, brand new, straight to the landfill. Stuff that could be donated to public schools or whatever. Fucking gross.

Not to mention all the food we produce, then waste.

load more comments (4 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (2 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
[–] Buffalox@lemmy.world 151 points 8 months ago (11 children)

Nonono don't do it!!
Just look how it went in Germany, they went from 40 to 35 and then last year they overtook Japan as the 3rd largest economy in the world.
But if they had kept 40 hour work week, they might have done that a year earlier.

I tell you 32 hour work week will be an absolute disaster, marriages will break because people will have time to spend together. This is why the christian right will oppose this tooth and nail, and you should too.

/s

[–] Patches@sh.itjust.works 44 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

Inb4 Fox News later today

I'll tell you hwat. 32 hour work week will be an absolute disaster, marriages will break because people will have time to spend together. This is why the christian right will oppose this tooth and nail, and you should too.

  • Economist who chose to remain anonymous due to fear of liberal cancel culture.
load more comments (1 replies)
[–] beebarfbadger@lemmy.world 16 points 8 months ago

The drones might have time to think and get ideas above their station. Next thing you know, they'll start objecting to being maximally exploited at every turn! Letting them off the leash, even a little, will have disastrous effects for their owners, I tell you!

load more comments (9 replies)
[–] Brkdncr@lemmy.world 82 points 8 months ago (1 children)

I don’t see a path forward that doesn’t start with the US government making the change first. They are one of the only employers that don’t have market competition.

[–] TheDuffmaster@lemmy.world 41 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (13 children)

Some departments in the US government give you a paid time off day every week to use however you want. A lot of people would take every Friday off, or some would stash them for a longer vacation.

It's wild to me how internally the government offers the kind of benefits politicians should've pushed into law a long time ago. It really is "for Me, not for Thee".

Source: worked in one of those departments

[–] azn03@lemm.ee 27 points 8 months ago

I work in the Federal Government, and this isn't true. You have alternative work schedules (4/10s, 5/4/9, maxiflex, etc.) but you're still going to work 80 hours unless you take leave. You gain annual leave every pay period and the amount is dependent on how long your federal service has been. But when you start (1-3 years) you only get 4 hours per pay period.

Maybe you're seeing people who have long federal service (15 years) that gain 8 hours/pay period use their leave. That's their choice but they're still working 40 hours on paper regardless.

load more comments (12 replies)
[–] mellowheat@suppo.fi 62 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (18 children)

As a European libertarian, americans and people in some far eastern countries work at their jobs way too much. It's harmful in every kind of way imaginable. I don't understand why it's done.

I get that some profession may benefit from it, but having standard office personnel sit at their desk 12 hours every day? What the fuck. I refuse to believe this improves company profits in 90% of the companies.

[–] fine_sandy_bottom@discuss.tchncs.de 38 points 8 months ago (8 children)

I'm self employed.

There's an infinite amount of work for me to do, but like most professions its intellectually, emotionally and mentally taxing.

Honestly, I can't do much more than 4 hours of real actual work per day.

load more comments (8 replies)
load more comments (17 replies)
[–] resetbypeer@lemmy.world 47 points 8 months ago (2 children)

I had a US colleague that was ranting to me (a European) that people would still take calls just before having surgery and the moment the anastatics would have worn off work again. So I asked why not root for Bernie as he wants to do a more Scandinavian model (did not use the world socialism because reasons). Answer was no, would not be able to vote for him. Well........

[–] Empricorn@feddit.nl 22 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

Man, you're talking about a "radical", "extremist" politician who self-identifies as a (democratic) socialist.

Here in the US, most people from the poorest, least-educated states will simply never vote for a Democrat. That's not an exaggeration. The only reason Nikki Haley got so much attention despite never being viable is because with our 2-Party system she was considered the only non-Trump option for many people in these flyover states. Add in the outsized influence they have in the Senate and the undemocratic Electrical College... We're fucked.

load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
[–] DrSleepless@lemmy.world 47 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Sometimes I imagine what America would be like if Bernie had enough votes to pass his bills.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] FiniteBanjo@lemmy.today 42 points 8 months ago (1 children)

He also spoke earlier about Israel breaking the US law by disrupting Us Humanitarian Aid.

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 29 points 8 months ago (12 children)

So that's two things the rest of the party will ignore him on?

load more comments (12 replies)
[–] DAMunzy@lemmy.dbzer0.com 41 points 8 months ago

Incomplete article by The Hill... Actually, the more I look at it this is a bad article. The only current bill introduced to the Congress is from last year by a different Representative. Bernie put out yesterday (the 13th) that he will be introducing a bill on Thursday the 14th (2024-03-14). It's only 0600 local time Washington, D.C. so it hasn't happened yet. And it would be very strange to he is introducing another act in the same session (118th).

H.R.1332 - Thirty-Two Hour Workweek Act since they couldn't even link to the bill.

Congress.gov has the sponsor as Rep. Takano, Mark [D-CA-39] (Introduced 03/01/2023).

Long title: Official Title as Introduced

To amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to reduce the standard workweek from 40 hours per week to 32 hours per week, and for other purposes.

[–] neomachino@lemmy.world 35 points 8 months ago (1 children)

I've noticed that I get the same amount of work done working 5 days a week as if I plan to only work 3/4 days and know I'll have some free time to enjoy life. My work is really project based so as long as it gets done no one cares.

My wife has also noticed that I'm a lot more stressed when I work 5 days a week and need pretty much the whole weekend to recover.

[–] lennybird@lemmy.world 18 points 8 months ago (5 children)

It's LONG overdue. Been saying this for years. Reducing the stress, increasing free time (and therefore things like family time, innovation time, etc.) would vastly overhaul our society. Productivity has risen for decades while wages remain stagnant and work-life balance, if anything, has worsened.

load more comments (5 replies)
[–] NutWrench@lemmy.world 33 points 8 months ago

Bernie is an example of what a progressive politician actually looks like.

American politicians (Republicans AND Democrats) have been moving steadily to the right for the last 40 years. So now, Democrats are where the Republicans were in the 1980s, boring corporatists and friends of banks, pharmaceutical and insurance companies.

And the Republicans have moved all the way into an insane asylum. They long for the "good old days" of company towns, run by 19th century robber barons and worry that the six corporations that control all our news are the "liberal news media."

[–] cultsuperstar@lemmy.world 30 points 8 months ago

This will never pass because we aren't seen as people with families and lives. We're seen as labor. Tools to keep the machine running and making money for corporations and its executives.

[–] CaptPretentious@lemmy.world 29 points 8 months ago (1 children)

While a small tangent, I agree. I used to work 4x10 each week. Had done that for over a decade. Having a 3 day weekend really helped. When I got my current position I was moved to 5x8. I'm now endlessly tired, I can't get the weekend projects done, etc. Because you're just getting out of work, or getting ready to start work again, there's no break. So if this ends up being 4x8, that would be great! Keep my hours and get my weekend back. Though I assume corporate USA will find some way to muck it up, like the RTO bullshit.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] Shadywack@lemmy.world 19 points 8 months ago

This makes the election really simple later. Vote against whoever opposed or brought any friction to this bill whatsoever...which will be pretty much everyone.

[–] Churbleyimyam@lemm.ee 19 points 8 months ago (2 children)

America should make Bernie their Emperor.

[–] Coskii@lemmy.blahaj.zone 22 points 8 months ago (1 children)

It would have been really nice to have had him as a president for a term. He'd be doing all the same things he's doing now, but with more authority. It would have been really interesting to watch mainstream media have a meltdown over everything he put forward.

[–] drcabbage@lemmy.ml 23 points 8 months ago (2 children)

I often dream of that alternative universe where Bernie became president instead of Biden...

1000001149

load more comments (2 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
[–] bloom_of_rakes@lemm.ee 17 points 8 months ago (2 children)

The only way that we can remain competitive in the global marketplace is to squeeze the workers to the greatest extent that biology will allow. If that means slavery, mind control and death-at-30 then so be it. We must remain competitive

load more comments (2 replies)
load more comments
view more: next ›