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Show Four Day VJeeli: At Ford? Ford Motor Company's new contract with the United Automobile Au-tomobile Workers may open the door to a four day work week, at some time in the future, fu-ture, for millions of U.S. workers. FORD workers got an extra six days off next year, bringing bring-ing to 40 the number of off-days off-days they will be entitled to in 1977. Generally speaking, management takes the position posi-tion U.S. workers are already the world's best paid - along with those in Scandinavia and West Germany - and that if pay is to be kept where it is while the work week is reduced from 40 to 32 hours, costs are certain to go up sharply; also prices of products, such as automobiles, au-tomobiles, as a result. THE INCREASE costs of products will fuel sharp inflation and cancel out gains, management says. In general, the union argument ar-gument is that through increased productivity companies com-panies can get the same production, or more, from 32 work hours as from 40. IF THIS proves possible, prices need not rise any faster than they would otherwise, it's said. The public interest, of course, is directly affected and all Americans and Congress should be acquainted acquaint-ed with the dialogue. IT WOULD seem, from the national interest standpoint, that when productivity can be maintained or increased with a shorter work week, it's desirable. Of course, other costs are involved, such as materials, and no exact equation is possible. pos-sible. ON THE other hand, it seems to be a questionable time for major unions to push hard for a four-day work week (and they have not necessarily neces-sarily done so). Eventually, a four-day week might be a proud accomplishment ac-complishment of American industry and labor. BUT ONE suspects this advance ad-vance will come slowly and in select industries in which management is nimble enough, and aggressive enough, to make it possible. There are some industries in which such a move now would be disastrous. Eventually, however, the 40-hour work week, which has been standard since President Roosevelt's New Deal established it in 1938, seems destined to be diminished by advances in technology and productivity. |