Coming Soon, A Four Day Work Week!
July 09 2008 / by jcchan / In association with Future Blogger.net
Category: Energy Year: General Rating: 4
Imagine a Friday drive down to a golf course in a neighboring
state, followed by a relaxing Saturday of hiking and fishing, then
spending Sunday at home relaxing with the family. While an extra
day off may not seem like much, who wouldn’t enjoy perpetual 3-day
weekends? 
Thanks to rising fuel prices, that’s exactly what a new State bill in Utah proposes for thousands of government employees. In an effort to curb air pollution and reduce state and commuter energy costs, legislators are seriously pushing for a 4-day, 10-hour work, Monday-to-Thursday work week in place of the traditional 5-day week.
If the bill is passed, public schools in Utah will transition to 149-day school years instead of 172, with class time extended by 65 minutes each day. But don’t worry about vital public services because the State police, prison guards, courts, public universities, and even state-run liquor stores will still hold regular hours on Fridays. Likewise, hazardous spill disposal and medicaid phone line services will not be affected by the changes.
The idea of a four day work week isn’t new. Ever since the gas crisis of the 1970’s the idea has been floating around to conserve fuel costs, but only recently have people begun to get excited about the possible switch-up now that gasoline prices are seriously pinching travel and commuter budgets.
For example, Suffolk County and New York are already considering the plan, so it looks as though this could be the start of a much broader trend. (cont.)
