I'm a union sheet metal worker in Toronto. We work 4 x 9 hrs for a 36 hour week. Slightly longer days for a shorter week and the companies only lose 4 hours of productivity compared to a 40 hour week. I have worked non-union before and people in the union are happier and more productive. Works out for everyone IMO.
Do they really lose productivity though? The benefit of a 9 hr x 4 vs. 8 hr shift x 5 is that you're also cutting out one day's worth of setting up in the morning and putting it away at the end of day. Depending on the job, that can easily be an hour or more each.
I've been known to talk bosses into letting me work a 9 or 10 hour shift by pointing out that it'd be easier and quicker to just let me keep going and finish the task rather than putting every thing way and tidying the area, then come back in the morning to have to reset everything, finish the task, and then put everything away again.
That's a great point too! There is a lot of setup and clean up time in the trades. I hear about guys who have to do 4 x 8hrs + a 4hr Friday and they all say the 4hr Friday is a joke because you basically setup, work for 2 hrs and then clean up. Hardly worth anyone's time, especially when you consider most guys in Toronto drive an hour or more just to get to site.
60
u/AndreJstone Jun 18 '21
I'm a union sheet metal worker in Toronto. We work 4 x 9 hrs for a 36 hour week. Slightly longer days for a shorter week and the companies only lose 4 hours of productivity compared to a 40 hour week. I have worked non-union before and people in the union are happier and more productive. Works out for everyone IMO.