More Work, Same Pay, Lower Quality of Life

I write to express appreciation to Steve Lopez for “More Work, Less Pay -- They Call It Family Time Flexibility” (April 16). Have you ever wondered about that anachronism, the 9-to-5 job? Labor statistics indicate that Americans work more hours than the citizens of most, if not all, comparable industrial countries. In fact, we labor more than we did just 20 years ago, and this when there are more double-income families. We have no minimum vacation requirements, as do those treacherous nations of France and Germany. Americans have fewer national holidays than the Japanese.

I speak only, of course, of the dismal lot of middle- and working-class folks in the U.S. We have duped ourselves into thinking that GDP growth and unemployment figures demonstrate that our society is more successful than those socialistic failures of Western Europe. We miss the subtle point that these other societies may value qualities of life such as a close family, recreation, culture and social tranquillity.

What is life to be lived for? Is it for a whale-sized luxury truck and a plasma-screen TV? Or is it for a nice meal with the entire family at the end of each day and a relaxing getaway once or twice a year? These are choices that nations make in developing an economy. Proposals such as the Family Time Flexibility Act will, in effect, take these choices away from working people in favor of their bosses.

Tom Halasz

Mt. Washington