German labor unions are being challenged by employers pushing to extend the traditional 35 hour workweek. Pressure for a longer workweek has mounted as thousands of jobs have moved overseas and companies across Germany have threatened to move more production to countries where employment rules are less rigid. Unions say that they will resist these changes, but many experts feel that the 35 hour workweek may be a thing of the past.
See "Germany's unions losing steam", Charles Hawley, Chicago Tribune, July 25, 2004