The Work Week

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They’re talking about a bill that would cut the work week to four days.

Friday’s off!

Sounds good, right?

The Monday through Friday is certainly a grind and I usually feel like absolute garbage by Thursday because I usually work too many hours.

I would say that most of my days are of the 7 to 5 variety with a couple of hours on the weekend.

Too
Much.

But whatever, it’s mostly my fault.

Thing is, I’ve worked some weird shifts in my day. I once had a job that went from 1 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.

We had a pod half-hour lunch that we usually took around 5 a.m.

Never got used to that shift. I had an hour ride in so I was getting up for work at 11 at night.

And what the hell do you do when you get home at 10 a.m.?

I would sleep a few hours and then get up. I’d try to sleep again around 7:00 but man…

…that’s just a lousy day.

When the weekends hit I didn’t even know where the hell I was.

I talked to a couple of guys who are correctional officers. They were talking about mandatory overtime and guys being forced to work more than 20 hours straight.

They’re trying to be on high alert, and they’re walking zombies!

Truck drivers are another group. I used to see some long haul guys.

They didn’t sleep much. (Or bathe for that matter). That is also dangerous.

So, I don’t know where the 32-hour work week will truly take hold.

I once saw a contract that I signed for my job. It said that I would be expected to work 37.5 hours per week.

I do that by Wednesday most weeks.

“I’d love to meet the guy who came up with the 40-hour work week,” an old labor partner once told me. “I’d beat his head in with my lunch pail.”

Thing is…

…that 40-hour week was bargained down.

The new generation doesn’t seem interested in spending their whole life at work.

After all this time, I’m thinking that they may be right…

…but it’s too late for me!

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