Robot employees wouldn't need time off for a sick child, and wouldn't 'need' a vacation or a retirement - at least until completely amortized! Training would be as simple as dumping in the latest programming, and let the profit race begin!

Sounds just like American soldiers in Iraq!

Nice current technology overview, as well as commentary on the over-working of American employees manufacturers must engage in to be competitive. I'm always amazed when employers pefer to pay 10 people to work 60 hours per week, when 15 people could have had 40 hour per week jobs. Makes no real economic sense when you factor overtime into the equation (of course, many jobs don't pay overtime). I would assume it lowers unemployment insurance contributions. It has also led to the myth of the American workers great productivity.

Great catch, guys! A couple of weeks ago, I blogged about research published in the British Medical Journal identifying a relationship between cardiovascular mortality and work stress. And, Harvard University recently published a study which indicates that half of the personal bankruptcies in the US were related to medical expenses, regardless of whether or not the individuals had health insurance.

Between this stuff and bankruptcy protection. . . for the banks and credit card companies, that is. . . people are going to get squeezed so much that they won't want to play any more, and may just stop being good consumers.

One in three is overworked, and the other two are public sector employees...

We should all work less and be taxed more...Look how great it works in France and Germany.

We should all work less and be taxed more

Unless you don't have a pencil, total your entire tax contribution and compare it to what these people pay. You're at their same rate...and no benies to boot. Don't you just love supporting wealthy people?

One would think American companies would catch on that their workers would be more efficient and less prone to accidents/mistakes/fuck ups if they had 6 - 8 wks paid vacation time a year and regular unpaid sabbaticals.

Europeans trade money for time, and Americans trade time for money.

Which supports family time better?

Which is more conducive to "family values?"

A fantastic book on this subject is "The Overworked American," by Juliet B. Schor.

Unions