Iowa Gov. Chet Culver (D) is touting Utah’s first-in-the-nation move to a four-day workweek for most state employees in the executive branch, and he is pushing the proposal as a way to cut costs in his own state.
“Overall, the Utah experience has been a positive one,” Culver said, according to Radio Iowa . Culver predicted that the four-day week – which was adopted in Utah to cut the state’s energy expenses while saving commuting costs for workers – “will get a lot of support” in Iowa.
Radio Iowa noted that about 60 percent of Utah residents back the four-day week, according to a state-commissioned poll, even though “nearly all” state offices are closed on Fridays. Hawaii and Washington State have tried more limited versions of the four-day week this year, and Virginia and West Virginia also are looking into it, Radio Iowa reported.
As Stateline.org reported in June 2008 , Utah’s four-day week began as a response to soaring gasoline prices. But ongoing fiscal worries could turn the idea into a fixture in Utah and other states that adopt it.
“There’s been enough of a positive impact that I don’t think we’re going to go back to the five-day workweek,” a Utah official told Stateline.org earlier this year.
Our stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our web site. Please see our republishing guidelines for use of photos and graphics.
Related News
