As part of his Labor Day message to workers in the United States, Sen. Bernie Sanders on Monday re-upped his call for the establishment of a 20% cut to the workweek with no loss in pay—an idea he said is “not radical” given the enormous productivity gains over recent decades that have resulted in massive profits for corporations but scraps for employees and the working class.

“It’s time for a 32-hour workweek with no loss in pay,” Sanders wrote in a Guardian op-ed as he cited a 480% increase in worker productivity since the 40-hour workweek was first established in 1940.

“It’s time,” he continued, “that working families were able to take advantage of the increased productivity that new technologies provide so that they can enjoy more leisure time, family time, educational and cultural opportunities—and less stress.”

  • jasondj@ttrpg.network
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    1 year ago

    For the sake of comparison…

    1940 median US male salary was $956. Women earned about 62¢ on the dollar to men.

    Adjusted for inflation, that’s about $21,800.

    Median US income (overall) in 2023 is $42,800.

    You mean to tell me productivity has gone up 4.8x, and I don’t even see 2x the increase in salary.

    Put otherwise, if my hours are worth nearly 5x to you, why aren’t they even worth 2x to me?