Justice Archives - KDA Keeping Democracy Alive Podcast & Radio Show · Burt Cohen

A 32 Hour Work Week: The Time is Now

·58 min·1 clip

Right-wing talks about right to life for abortion but not right to life to actually enjoy your life.

Labor columnist Sarah Jaffe discusses the rising movement for 32-hour work weeks at current 40-hour pay as a solution to automation job loss, worker burnout, and inequality. Bert Cohen contextualizes within labor history (workers fought for 8-hour days with bloodshed; now 70% of workers hate jobs). Sarah explains why the labor movement is fractious (disagreements over organizing priorities, resource allocation, member services) and why the 32-hour demand didn't make UAW's final 2023 contract despite being demanded. She outlines economic benefits: shorter weeks distribute jobs (fewer layoffs, more hiring), improve mental health and family time, and follow precedent (Germany's mini-jobs during 2008, Britain's furlough during COVID). Sean Fain (UAW President) frames time as humanity's greatest resource—workers should work to live, not live to work. Sarah argues the demand could unify fractious labor movement and challenge AI ownership questions.

As heard by us

A case for shorter weeks that links labor history, burnout, productivity culture, and the politics of time.

Bert Cohen makes a clear argument for 32 hours of work for 40 hours of pay by looking back to the hard-won eight-hour day and the bloodshed and public pressure that helped secure it.

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Why you'd press play

You get the labor-history fight, the 40-hour norm, and the mental-health case for a 32-hour week.

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