Four-day workweek: Why more companies are taking the plunge

In a complex effort to increase morale among bus drivers and address worker shortages, the Kansas City Area Transit Authority has negotiated a new union contract with drivers and maintenance crews to increase their hourly wage. Through the new contract and intensified recruitment efforts, the KCATA has hired an additional 55 drivers, exceeding its goal of 45 more drivers by the end of this year.

Siragugal Bricks is a community-owned brick kiln operated by rescued bonded laborers, aiming to rehabilitate and empower them to explore business endeavors and find more sustainable, safer sources of income. Since April 2022, 100 families have worked for Siragugal and local government organizations have helped obtain funding and supplies to facilitate Siragugal’s operations, such as power supplies, a work shed and a borehole for water.

With an influx of COVID relief money, the Russellville school district began hiring and certifying more local, Spanish-speaking staff to help teach English language learners. Districtwide, the percentage of students who met their language proficiency goals increased from 46% in 2019 to 61% in 2022.

Nail salons offer services that often are toxic to their workers, from manicures causing acrylic dust in the air to the chemicals that can permeate through skin. Salon workers complain of respiratory problems and sometimes cancer. The California Healthy Nail Salon Collaborative offers certification in maintaining safe practices for their workers, offering an incentive for the use of ventilation equipment and gloves.

Deliveristas Unidos started as a WhatsApp group for local delivery workers to connect, but over time it turned into a mobilized organization of thousands of delivery workers ready to take to the streets to protect their rights as workers. Through their organizing, the group managed to get a legislative package passed that enacted several laws that guaranteed their rights and protections, including access to bathrooms in restaurants across the city, transparent communication with delivery apps about tips, as well as hourly pay.

The Community Health Program’s Great Barrington Health Center and the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School in Worcester partnered together to provide a residency program to attract nurse practitioners to the area. The program helps train nurse practitioners to provide care and master concepts like insurance policies and medical computer systems in areas that are lacking these medical professionals.

iWorker is a virtual assistant agency that connects bilingual professionals from economically troubled countries like Venezuela to businesses in the US, Europe, and Canada. By connecting workers with these jobs, the platform not only provides them with an income, it ensures that the income will be paid in a foreign currency more stable than their own, helping the recipients manage surging rates of inflation. Since 2018, iWorker has provided work to over 4,500 Venezuelans inside and outside of the country.

To combat hiring issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, some restaurants have leaned on more innovative solutions, like hiring offshore workers to work remotely from other countries. These virtual cashier systems provide ease for employers while still providing customers with a real person to talk to.

Unit of Work, an organization backed by venture capital, helps unions organize and win contracts. Organizers provide free consulting to groups of workers forming unions within their own workplaces. Once a contract is in place, members of the new union can decide to pay Unit of Work a monthly fee — like traditional union dues — to keep providing support.

The Block Island Wind Farm is an offshore wind farm that works to mitigate climate change and improve the state’s economy. The wind farm has created more than 300 jobs and provides an alternative to power sources that produce carbon emissions amidst increased demands for electricity.