We recently came across this very interesting — and sobering — article on the modern American worker. 

Juliet Schor, a Professor of Sociology at Boston College, explained in her book The Overworked American: The Unexpected Decline of Leisure, that the average American in 1987 was working about 1,949 hours annually, while an adult male peasant in 13th-century England racked up approximately 1,620 hours yearly.

And, according to the latest available labor data, the medieval peasants continue to work fewer hours than Americans. In 2017, the average hours worked by Americans reached 1,780 a year. The United States is the only advanced country with no national vacation policy. 

Unionwear has proudly embraced unions since our founding almost 30 years ago for many reasons, one of which is that happy and well-rested employees are better employees. By paying a living wage, they also tend to stay longer, and lower turnover means more profitability. More companies should do the same.

#unions #labor #business #leadership #madeinusa