The United Auto Workers (UAW) Strike for a Four-Day Work Week
The United Auto Workers (UAW) initiated a historic strike last week against the “Big Three” US car manufacturers—Ford Motor Co., General Motors, and Stellantis—with a list of demands that included a four-day work week. This demand is a significant push for the idea, which has already been implemented for some office workers but hasn’t made it to the assembly line.
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Now, auto workers want to be part of this change. Approximately 13,000 UAW members walked out at three plants of the three Detroit brands on September 15th. Alongside demanding better compensation and benefits, auto workers are advocating for a 32-hour work week with the same pay as a 40-hour week. The UAW leadership maintains that this shift is necessary to enhance the quality of life for workers.
UAW president Shawn Fain emphasized the urgency of the situation in an August Facebook livestream stating, “Our members are currently working 60, 70, even 80 hours a week just to make ends meet. That’s not living—it’s barely surviving and it needs to stop.”
Other labor unions have shown support for this idea as well. The AFL-CIO, the largest trade union federation in the US, recommended negotiating for a four-day work week in 2019 to strengthen the overall labor movement.
While the idea of a four-day work week may still be seen as somewhat unconventional, some tech companies have already implemented it. According to the job search site 4 Day Week, dozens of US companies have adopted a four-day work week. Kickstarter made the shift in 2022 after observing increased employee productivity and improved retention rates. Software company Basecamp operates on a 32-hour work week during the summer months of May to September. Even tech giants like Microsoft and Amazon have experimented with a four-day schedule. The embrace of the four-day work week by factory workers could be the catalyst needed to make it a mainstream practice.
The UAW strike serves as a potential turning point in the adoption of the four-day work week. Regardless of the outcome, the union’s groundbreaking demand will have significant implications. Cathy Creighton, the director of Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations Buffalo Co-Lab, explained to MarketWatch that it will “cause massive reverberations.” Auto workers in the US have a history of pioneering new labor standards. Their decision to strike aligns perfectly with the current post-pandemic landscape, where attitudes towards work-life balance have shifted, the labor market is competitive, and companies are eager to find innovative ways to attract and retain employees. A reduced workweek could be the winning solution, especially since recent surveys indicate that the majority of Americans support the idea.
Here’s how US workers feel about a four-day work week:
- 87% of employed adults expressed “somewhat or very interested” in a four-day work week, according to a 2023 survey conducted by Morning Consult. (In the survey, a four-day work week was defined as working four days per week for 10+ hours per day.)
- 93% of millennials showed interest in a shorter work week, making them the most enthusiastic group.
- 71% of baby boomers expressed interest, representing the least enthusiastic group.
- 75% of Americans indicated their interest in a four-day work week, according to a 2023 survey by Talent.com.
- 43% of respondents believe it is a logical progression after the adoption of hybrid work, according to the same survey.
Fun fact: The five-day work week originated in the auto industry. Ford Motor Co. founder Henry Ford pioneered the five-day, 40-hour work week in September 1926, effectively establishing the modern concept of “the weekend.” Prior to that, working six days a week was the norm. In a company newsletter, Ford wrote, “Just as the eight-hour day opened our way to prosperity in America, so the five-day workweek will open our way to still greater prosperity… It is high time to rid ourselves of the notion that leisure for workmen is either lost time or a class privilege.”
Almost a century later, workers in the auto industry, where the 40-hour schedule was established, may have the power to reclaim more of their time.
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