From: glevy@PRATT.EDU
Date: Tue Aug 02 2005 - 15:27:38 EDT
Hi Michael P: Well, I can't check on any sources now, but surely someone must have used a "competitiveness" argument against the 8-hour-day. I.e. domestic firms, if forced to comply with a limit on the working day, would be at a competitive disadvantage in relation to firms from other nations which had no such limit. I suspect, in the context of the 19th Century, conservatives also made a "laziness" argument -- since the working class was deemed to be slothful. I bet you could also find a conservative argument (from the Church?) that the 8-hour-day would increase alcoholism and othere sorts of sinful activities like adultery. After all, the working class with too much time on its hands would surely fall into all sorts of moral depravities. In solidarity, Jerry
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Thu Aug 04 2005 - 00:00:00 EDT