# Make Work Better By:: [[Ross Jackson]] 2024-07-13 Labor used to consist of a 72-hour work week. This was reduced to 60 and then to 40. While many work more than 40 hours, the 40-hour work week is still considered the general employment standard. The 40-hour week was made the standard in 1940. There has been talk about reducing the work week to 32 hours. This is a point around which one could gain much support. This would improve the quality of life for almost all of us. Since most of us are wage laborers, this would reduce our work burden and give us more free time. Additionally, if organizations wanted to get the same amount of work accomplished, they would need to hire more people. Again, this would be a good outcome for most of us. The important thing to note is that this wouldn’t be good for all of us. This would be a negative for capitalists. They would either get less work done or hire more people to accomplish the same amount of work. Further, being forced to hire more people would reduce unemployment and give workers more negotiating power. A representative democracy should be responsive to the desires of most people. This would suggest that policy should be based on what benefits workers rather than capitalists. It isn’t. There are two main reasons it is not. First, capitalists are smaller in number, have direct access to politicians and the ability to influence policy, and are more unified in their class interests. Workers are exhausted from work, not uniformly engaged in politics, and can be persuaded to vote against their economic interests. The policy will only be changed through worker solidarity. If one wants to improve work, the focus should be on improving it for all. Worker solidarity is the key to political power. Workers will have it together or not at all. #### Related Items [[Work]] [[Capitalism]] [[Interests]] [[Solidarity]] [[Politics]] [[Life]]