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Stay Home On Fridays To Retaliate Against Greedy Profiteers Of Oil

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 15, 2008

Not many strategies are available at the local level to fight back fast against the rising price of gasoline. One change that could be done right away, with immediate impact, is to switch to a four-day week.

By driving to work four days for 10 hours a day instead of five days for eight, a commuter's fuel bill would immediately drop by 20 percent. That's like cutting the price of a gallon of gasoline from $4 to $3.20.

Most jobs could be adapted to a longer day with no effect on production or customer service. In the wireless age, being out of the office doesn't mean being unreachable.

Some jobs don't lend themselves to a 10-hour day, but most do. Surveys show the four-day week is popular, and some employment experts suggest the shorter week actually increases productivity and job satisfaction.

It is also something schools could consider to save on energy bills and lower busing costs, although it's more complicated with the state mandate of 180 days of instruction and childcare issues for families with young students. But having a three-day weekend would give workers and high school students more time for part-time employment or volunteer work.

Offices that must be kept open five days could have some employees off Fridays, some off Mondays, and some staff could remain on a five-day schedule. Enterprises that must operate every day could still arrange four-day weeks.

Bob Hunter, executive director of the Hillsborough City-County Planning Commission, says his office is going to experiment with the four-day workweek, starting later this month, to help the staff save money. Fewer staff members will be available at certain times, but Hunter says customers of both government and private business will understand.

"The savings get passed on the customer, eventually," he says.

The four-day idea is catching on around the country. Marion County has already offered county workers a four-day week, and the city of Birmingham, Ala., begins a four-day week next month.

It's not a new idea. Consultant Riva Poor tried and failed to make it universal in the early 1970s with her book, "4 days, 40 hours."

Today there are even more advantages, and with the Internet and cell phones, fewer drawbacks.

Going to work four days instead of five, especially in areas like Tampa where long commutes are common, will result in less fuel consumption, less pollution and less crowded roads.

More than 10 years ago Hunter helped start in Tampa the casual-Friday trend in office dress, a change that caught on for comfort, not saving money at the dry cleaners.

The need for a four-day work week is both financial and psychological. Invisible market forces are toying with us this summer to see how much we're willing to pay for gasoline. Will we pay $4? How about $5? Why not 6?

Not having an effective way to express displeasure is frustrating. Until customers send a message at the pump, the price will keep rising.

Higher fuel prices will cause some of us eventually to change cars, houses or even jobs. But our budgets and pride demand a way to fight back right now. The four-day workweek is a good place to start.

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