Free Republic

Local governments across the country are facing the dilemma of cutting part-time employees' work hours to below 30 hours a week to avoid paying the increasing cost of health care under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Even though the Obama administration has postponed, until January 2015, the employer mandate that requires all companies, school districts and municipalities to provide health care for employees who work 30 hours a week or more, or face a penalty of $2,000 to $3,000 per worker, many have decided to reduce their employees' work hours this year. In Middletown, N.J., for instance, Township Administrator Anthony...

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — The April employment report exceeded expectations, with 165,000 jobs created and a welcome drop in the unemployment rate to 7.5%. But there was a dark side to the report: Total hours worked fell sharply, and the total amount of money earned by U.S. workers actually declined from the month before.“Aggregate weekly hours”....As the name implies, it measures the total number of hours worked, which is what matters for sizing up overall growth in the economy. Usually, we focus just on the number of new jobs created and the unemployment rate, but the number of hours we work...

Americans should work less, play more -- and in doing so, save the planet. That’s the basic formula a Washington think tank is shopping around as a way to cut down on global warming. The shift from a U.S. work model to a more "European" one – which includes shorter work weeks and more vacation time -- could cut as much as half of the expected global temperature rise by 2100, according to a new report from the Center for Economic and Policy Research. The study claims that scaling back on work hours could bring down greenhouse gases. “The calculation...

The 40-hour work week is an outdated model, according to Science Nordic's James W Vaupel, head of the new Danish Max Planck research center. Instead, he argues, we should only work 25 hours a week--but keep working until we’re octogenarians. “We’re getting older and older here in Denmark. Kids who are ten years old today should be able to work until the age of 80. In return, they won’t need to work more than 25 hours per week when they become adults,” Vaupel told Science Nordic. “In the 20th century we had a redistribution of wealth. I believe that in...

ONE-in-10 Irish workers spend 60 to 80 hours a week working - the biggest proportion in the EU. Another 18% work between 45 and 59 hours a week. The figures were revealed yesterday as it emerged that changes to the EU's working time directive could mean longer working hours for employees and no compensation for being on-call. The proposed changes were condemned by Labour Party MEP Proinsias de Rossa, the socialist group in the European parliament, the British Medical Association and by workers and employers groups. Both the British and Irish governments have been lobbying intensely for changes and they...

July 7, 2004 Europe Reluctantly Deciding It Has Less Time for Time OffBy MARK LANDLER RANKFURT, July 6 — For Michael Stahl, a technician at a cordless telephone factory in the town of Bocholt, summer is usually a carefree season of long evenings in his garden and even longer vacations. His toughest choice is where to take his wife and three children on their annual camping trip: Italy and Croatia are on this year's itinerary.Two weeks ago, however, Mr. Stahl got a rude jolt, when his union signed a contract with his employer, Siemens, to extend the workweek at the...