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The public is invited to attend “BEYOND RECONCILIATION: The Potential for Common Ground on the Environment and Labor,” Friday, April 21, at 9 a.m., at Raritan Valley Community College. The event, which is part of RVCC’s commemoration of Earth Week, will be held in the Conference Center at the College’s Branchburg campus. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m.
 
The conference will feature keynote speaker Benjamin K. Hunnicutt, the premier historian and expert on work hours in the United States. Hunnicutt will speak on “The Age of Experiences: The Promise of Liberation Capitalism,” which is the topic of his upcoming book.

The event is being cosponsored by the Somerset County Business Partnership, the Hunterdon County Chamber of Commerce, the Faculty Federation of Raritan Valley Community College, the RVCC Foundation, and the NJ chapter of the Sierra Club.

A Professor of Leisure Studies at the University of Iowa, Hunnicutt has written for The Wall Street Journal and Politico. His books include Kellogg’s Six-Hour Day and Free Time: The Forgotten American Dream. He has worked as a consultant to unions and businesses interested in shorter hours and the potential of leisure to improve the community and workplace.

The event also will include an address by Dan Aronson, RVCC Professor of Economics, and a panel discussion, “Conservation is for Everyone.” The panel will feature Glenn Ricketts, RVCC Professor of Political Science, and Michael Russell, Assistant Professor of Business at Centenary University. Each session will include time for audience participation.

The conference will focus on such topics as reducing the number of working hours. Statistics from US Chamber of Commerce show that the average workweek fell by 43 percent between 1850-1950. Aronson says that work time reduction, the original goal that inspired workers to organize, offers potential benefits to businesses. A 2007 University of Iceland study, which observed data over time and across countries, found a strong correlation between shorter hours and higher hourly productivity. Aronson believes that this would help explain why some businesses have voluntarily reduced hours.

Registration for the conference, at $30 per person ($20 for students), includes a lunch featuring Latin and Moroccan vegetarian dishes.

To register online, visit www.raritanval.edu/conference_register. For additional information, contact Dan Aronson at 908-526-1200, ext. 8238.

Raritan Valley Community College’s main campus is located at 118 Lamington Road in Branchburg, NJ. Serving Somerset and Hunterdon County residents for close to 50 years, RVCC is an educational and cultural center that is nationally recognized for its innovative programming, service to the community and environmental leadership. The College offers more than 90 associate degrees and certificates, as well as career training, professional development, and adult and youth personal enrichment courses. The College also has a performing arts center and planetarium.

RVCC is committed to offering a quality and affordable education through effective teaching, liaisons with the community’s businesses, and state-of-the-art technology. For further information, visit www.raritanval.edu.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 21, 2017

Media contact: Donna Stolzer, 908-526-1200, ext. 8383

PR #132