Virginia Legislature Likely To Revisit Day-Of-Rest Law

[Judi Lynn]

January 3, 2005

Virginia Legislature Likely To Revisit Day-Of-Rest Law


(State News, VA, January 3rd, 2005, 6:24 a.m.) The Virginia General Assembly is likely to visit a troublesome labor law that forced it to return to the state's capital for a special session over the summer.

A mistake during the regular session revived the old law, giving workers the right to refuse work on Saturday or Sunday. The blunder occurred after a bill that repealed old blue laws accidentally wiped out exemptions for many businesses from the "day of rest" law.

The legislature reinstated the exemptions. But the Virginia Chamber of Commerce says that's not enough. Now, it appears that some companies that thought they were exempt learned that they really weren't.

The American Civil Liberties Union also questioned whether the fixed bill was constitutional because it designated only Saturdays or Sundays as days of worship.
(snip/)

http://www.wtkr.com/Global/story.asp?S=2756257&nav=0oa8UkPw

[havocmom]

1. $$ will ALWAYS trump the bible in America.

And workers will always be prey to both.

[pinerow]

2. Don't call it a day of worship...what's wrong with a day of rest...???

This 24/7 society is gonna kill us yet...:wtf:

[DavidDvorkin]

3. Then why restrict it to Saturday or Sunday?

Doing that is clearly religious. Blue laws used to specify Sunday, then it was expanded to Saturday to get Jewish support.

Why not just say that people can't be required to work for seven days in a row?

[Occulus]

6. Not necessarily

You don't know how many people appreciate the "weekend" for non-religious reasons until you've had Sat. & Sun. off for three or four years, and then lose it (for the next decade or so) when you change facilities. A LOT of things happen on weekends that I am forced to miss out on. I would sort of welcome such a law, if it indeed were called a "day of rest" and not a "day of worship".

Most everyone should be able to commonly socialize, and the only way that can happen is if most everyone has those days off. Unfortunately, since businesses have "rights" (another major mistake), they can set what days we have off, and not the employees.

Personally, if you're a full time (40/wk or more) employee, I feel the law should allow you to set your days off, but that would mean most businesses would have to shut down over the weekend, and we just can't have that, now can we? :)

For everyone to benefit the most, all employees (or as many as possible) ought to have the same days off work. I've never worked anywhere where employees get the same days off, but everywhere I've ever worked, the people "in charge" get Saturday and Sunday- as if they, and only they, were entitled to those days off.

I bitterly resent losing most of my social life for my employer's bottom line, especially when my workplace markedly lacks any sort of incentive, including possible promotion, for a job well done. That's right. Where I work, it doesn't matter if you do a great job or a shitty job- your performance on the job has nothing to do with getting a promotion.

Incidentally, I see this as an employment issue, and not a religious one if everyone can take advantage of the "day of rest" who wishes to do so, irrespective of their religion. Personally, were it me, I wouldn't want my "day of rest" on anything but Saturday or Sunday regardless of my religion, since it would allow me to more readily associate with my religious peers, but that's just me.

I don't see a whole lot wrong with this one....

[truth2power]

10. "Most everyone should be able to commonly socialize.."

It occurs to me that having people able to get together to socialize is definitely NOT on the elite agenda. The optimal state of affairs is to have everyone working till they drop and coming home too tired to do anything other than fall into bed.

If people have time to socialize, they are apt to begin to question the feudal system, and we don't want that...now, do we?? They may even begin to <gasp> organize!

I'm convinced that the biggest reason the economy is structured so that individuals have to work 2 or 3 jobs just to barely survive is so they don't have time to THINK, and start asking inconvenient questions about the political system. :think:

[NashVegas]

4. It's Really Not That Bad an Idea

Regardless of one's thoughts on religion.

For someone used to 7/52 go-go-go, living in a place where everything shuts down once a week is a great way to get turned on to the joys of hedonism.

[yorkiemommie1]

5. yep

as a daily naptaker, i agree.

[rodeodance]

7. we ae a ;sevice' economy for the most part--seems to me there will more

exemptions than not.

[Nashyra]

9. I'm dating myself

I remember when the stores were closed on Sunday's, then they were open from noon -5. When I started working for the airlines 27 years ago it was a big thing to work weekends and holidays. Since my son is now in college my days off don't make a difference.

[demnan]

8. It won't work and it won't pass

Realistically there is too much money to be made by retail businesses on the weekends. They'd never allow it.