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60,000 walk out at DaimlerChrysler

BuckeyeInTheBoro

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60,000 walk out at DaimlerChrysler in protest of a move by the automaker to increase their work hours. It seems the poor oppressed plant workers are being asked to work as many as 40 hours in a single week!!! Poor guys! :(

It seems French "workers" may soon have reason to protest as well:
French president Jacques Chirac said on Wednesday French workers should be able to work more than 35 hours a week and told the government to hold talks with companies and unions about easing restrictions on work time to boost competitiveness.
I'd make fun of them, but just because I'm jealous. It's a great gig if you can get it... 35 hours a week, 7 weeks of vacation a year, wine with lunch... but it's not all rosey... you do still have to be French. :!
 
All of the factory workers I know wouldn't make it only working 35 hours a week. They work (are present on job site) about 60 hours a week and are pulling in $80K a year and get pissed off if they lose overtime.
 
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All of the factory workers I know wouldn't make it only working 35 hours a week. They work (are present on job site) about 60 hours a week and are pulling in $80K a year and get pissed off if they lose overtime.

I'm going to assume these aren't French Factory "workers"

Anyway... I know exactly what you mean.
 
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Maybe it's me, but I read the article twice. Wasn't it talking about a German plant? If so, why did Jackshit Chirac show up in the middle talking about the French only having to work 35 hours? He's like Freddy Krueger, just showing up to fuck things up. I'm surprised the French actually work that much. I thought they sat around all day typing posts on chatboards making asses of themselves and... oops, I mean, uh, well... anyway, I'm surprised they work 35 hours a week.
 
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This could be a precursor to make this policy standard company wide vs country specific. Plus with the federalization of Europe who knows what policies will have to become standard and what will constitute a full work week under the European Union regulations.
 
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I remember some moronic French union official-in order to decrease unemployment- advocate changing the work week in France from 36 to 32 hours, but raising the wages equivalently, so no one would lose money working 32 hours a week instead of 36......
 
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I remember some moronic French union official-in order to decrease unemployment- advocate changing the work week in France from 36 to 32 hours, but raising the wages equivalently, so no one would lose money working 32 hours a week instead of 36......

Yeah... well why don't you do some research and find out what ever came of that... :wink2:
 
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It's a great gig if you can get it... 35 hours a week, 7 weeks of vacation a year, wine with lunch... but it's not all rosey... you do still have to be French.

I guess when I read or hear about something like this rather than think Those Damn Lazy French, my thoughts are more along the lines of How Stupid are We. The Rat Race of a working climate the US can sometimes feel like has at least at times left me wondering if the opportuinity to enjoy the rewards is going to come and will it have even been worth it when it does. I can't speak for anyone else but the people I know and associate with on a daily basis (most around 30 years of age) rarely have anything positive to say about their existense. More common are feelings of being overworked, under appreciated, stressed out, tired, burned out, and fatigued. I don't know how many are seeing a shrink for this or taking pills for that. It certainly wouldn't be cramping my lifestyle if I had a few more hours a week to to myself or to spend with people who are important to me, or a few more weeks of vacation a year. Even if it meant earning less. Is it possible that being number 3 or 4 or 10 in the world in GDP per capita is a lot more fun than being number 1?
 
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Buckem-I don't know what kind of job you have, but that is something you need to consider. I teach, and don't make as much cheddar as a sales rep or an attorney, but I have summers off and lots of vacation time during the school year. You need to ask yourself what you value about your current career, and is it worth it. I don't drive a Lexus, or have a $750,000 home, but I have peace of mind. Most Americans are too afraid to reasses their salaries vs. peace of mind/down time.
 
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BuckeyeBeliever said:
who would be happy about adding 5 hours a week to their work week without additional pay?

heck, call me german or even french, but I wouldn't be too pleased, would you?
Like I said: "I'd make fun of them, but just because I'm jealous. It's a great gig if you can get it...".

Part of me just wants to see them work longer hours because I'm applying my 7-year-old's logic of: "It's not fair! Why do I have to work more than x and still I get less allowance and they take better vacations, too?"

My response to her "Life ain't fair, get used to it." applies to me too... but I'll still complain until I get put in time-out or dad starts taking his belt off. :wink2:
 
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