Should Europe work more, or America less?

[coyote]

Labor and leisure

Americans are materialists, Europeans civilized; Americans hardworking, Europeans lazy. Old stereotypes die hard on both sides of the Atlantic, and now they have taken on a new dimension: work time. Last week the International Monetary Fund made headlines by calling on Europeans to work more as a way to combat high unemployment, low job growth and comparatively low income levels. The recent attempt by the German company Siemens to roll back the 35-hour week was met by a chorus of "I told you so."
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Meanwhile, a recent report in this newspaper showed that Europeans continue to pride themselves on being less materialistic and more focused on family and community than their American counterparts ("Continent guards its right to leisure," July 19).
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There is, of course, an element of truth in these stereotypes, but as descriptions of two supposedly different cultures, they are far too simplistic.
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more...............


http://www.iht.com/articles/533367.html

[PeaceProgProsp]

1. Or, "US Corps see room for profit growth in Europe"

People aren't working 50 hours a week? Well lets get all that extra low marginal cost labor out of them then so we can increase profits.

People aren't super-materialistic? Well, let's get them to buy a lot of shit they don't need.

The only other information corporations need is "European savings rates higher and personal debt lower than in US." That would really suggest huge room for profit growth at the cost of a stable, democratic society.

[BeyondGeography]

2. Europeans already have what we want

From the article:

"The lesson to be learned from comparing work cultures is not that Europeans should become more like Americans, nor that Americans inhabit a different, more materialistic culture. It is that Europeans have gained politically and socially what many Americans say they want individually but have been unable to achieve politically. Americans, too, would like to have employment security, more flexibility, more leisure, fewer worries about health care and pensions, but the United States still has a long way to go."

[leesa]

3. Damn socialists, huh?

Of course Americans work too many hours, but it helps the pharmaceutical companies survive...all the prozac and blood pressure meds.

[Ilsa]

4. And Wall Street was boasting about another increase

in productivity a few days ago. I think they said it had increased about 2% or so, but i don't know over what time period.

I'm tired of my husband having to be "more productive". His children need some of that time with him at home.

[sui generis]

5. I'd like to see some REAL numbers, anyone:

for instance; can we also correlate the percent of single parent homes, crime rate, polution indices, stress related health problems, childhood behavioral problems and poverty index to longer work weeks?

One of the key things about Europe's work week is that they get to spend more time with their children. Europeans aren't lazy -- what an absurd thing to say; American sour grapes.

Remember this country is the one that would just as soon chain you to your sewing machine and let you burn to death in a sweat shop, or shoot you for organizing a strike (Ford auto, anyone remember?). Without these "socialist" regulations, you can be sure that you would be working a 60 hour workweek and only getting paid for 40.

OH WAIT A MINUTE! I forgot that fucker in the whitehouse signed the "professional work week" policy that lets corporations do just that now. In fact Verizon does that to its contractors now -- a minimum required 55 hour work week with every other weekend required, no benefits, and you only get paid for 40 hours.

Europe is definitely better.

[yankeeinlouisiana]

6. How would longer work hours

combat high unemployment?

"Last week the International Monetary Fund made headlines by calling on Europeans to work more as a way to combat high unemployment, low job growth and comparatively low income levels."