A straight-faced group calling itself Friends of the Free Day Weekend is trying to convince the US Congress to change the way Americans work — and don’t work.
They are urging lawmakers to toss out the five-day workweek and allow hardworking Americans a little more down time — preferably in western North Carolina.
“Maybe our message is crazy,” Roy McCrerey, the organization’s campaign director, as well as an Atlanta-based actor, told the AP.
“But I say our current situation is crazy. We need to fight crazy with crazy.”
He compares the average working American to US Congressman. The later was in session 104 days last year, which averages out to two days a week.
Behind the new move is a marketing initiative by the tourism industry in Asheville, a particularly scenic city in the mountains of western North Carolina near the Blue Ridge Parkway.
The idea started as a promotional gimmick by the Asheville Convention and Visitors Bureau, which is spending more than $500,000 on the campaign.
The group has been using its “Work Less Express” bus, live music and giveaways to raise awareness of unused vacation days and pressure Congress for a two-day workweek, conveniently mentioning that Asheville is a place to rest and recharge.
With an event staff of about 15, the group has a Web site, a MySpace page and videos on YouTube. It’s online and paper petitions to Congress have already drawn more than 2,000 signatures.
According to a 2007 survey by the travel Web site Expedia.com, Americans receive an average of 14 vacation days a year, compared to 36 days in France, 30 in Spain and 26 days in Germany.
Report by David Wilkening
