[TulliusCicero]

> consider that schools, hospitals, public transit etc. are also resting.

Pretty sure two out of three of those aren't really resting. You think hospitals stop working or trains stop running?

> it makes sense to have a common day of rest

Eh, nah. I'm mostly a social democrat, and I'd be all for better worker protections in general in the US, but I haven't heard any socialists or labor advocates pushing for "oh yeah, let's pick one day and force everyone to have it off". If nothing else, in the US this would be seen as a pretty gross abrogation of separation of church and state to make it Sunday (and every other day of the week would be even less practical).

People should absolutely have time off, but I think being more flexible is generally preferable.

[canadaduane]

There was a study 4 years ago regarding weekends--specifically, why do the unemployed also experience greater emotional well-being on Saturdays and Sundays, if they have basically free time any day of the week? It turned out that having a designated day (or days) for time off is a "network good"--felt by the entire network because it allows for more coordinated time together, all things considered.

"Increasingly, however, people are looking for individual time off when it is individually convenient. But personal flexibility can be a double-edged sword, the researchers found.

"Time flexibility is good for an individual, but it is bad for groups," Young said. "To make the most of modern life, we should search for temporal coordination – to work at the same times, and have time off together."

https://news.stanford.edu/news/2014/february/time-value-jobl...

[wnissen]

I heard an advocate for the sabbath who was an observant jew but felt that in the US we should protect Sunday, essentially for this reason.

[sonnyblarney]

"If nothing else, in the US this would be seen as a pretty gross abrogation of separation of church and state to make it Sunday"

No. It's as cultural as it is religious, and there are 0 'Social Democrats' against the notion of Sundays off on religious grounds.

"People should absolutely have time off, but I think being more flexible is generally preferable."

And no, there is generally no movement for this nor will there be.

The last thing we need is everything happening 24/7/365.

[TulliusCicero]

> No. It's as cultural as it is religious, and there are 0 'Social Democrats' against the notion of Sundays off on religious grounds.

Totally, utterly wrong. If you tried to mandate Sundays off anywhere in the US, the entirety of the left would oppose it. If you don't realize this, you may not know much about US politics. The left there is very concerned about any signs of state-sponsored religious favoritism, and this would very obviously qualify.

[kwhitefoot]

> You think hospitals stop working

Here in Norway that is exactly what happens. Those who do not need round the clock treatment or monitoring go home for the weekend and the hospital runs with a very much reduced staff. I know this from painful first hand experience over the last three years and it works very well.

[TulliusCicero]

> I know this from painful first hand experience over the last three years and it works very well.

??

It's painful but works very well?

[kwhitefoot]

Sorry, I expressed my meaning carelessly. The experience was painful because of the reason that I have the experience. Not because of the going home at the weekend feature.

[avip]

I guess it depends. In Israel all public transportation shuts down (annoyingly so for many), and hospitals are only doing emergency procedures. London's underground also has reduced operation on Sunday. Likewise in many other EU cities. It's not something unheard of.

[craftyguy]

Teachers definitely do not rest during the weekends, they're preparing lesson plans, grading papers, etc.