WOODLAND HILLS : Pierce Staff Goes on 4-Day Week to Cut Smog

In an effort to comply with smog-cutting requirements, Pierce College employees will work 10-hour days and take Fridays off for most of the summer, starting this week.

All of the about 300 full-time workers agreed to the schedule, planned to be in effect through Aug. 5, said Cathy Cameron, dean of administrative services.

“Hopefully, the extra time will be outweighed by the day off every week,” Cameron said. “The summer is the best time to do this, because the days are longer and people will still have enough light to do things when they get home.”

The schedule was adopted primarily to help the school meet South Coast Air Quality Management District standards by reducing the number of car trips to and from Pierce by 20%. The summer classes are scheduled to meet Monday through Thursday only.

Although administrators encourage ride-sharing, students and teachers usually drive to campus alone, Cameron said.

“Everyone comes at a different time, so it’s harder for us to get a great response on some of our (anti-smog) programs,” she said. “We thought the summer schedule could help us make up for that a little.”

Some employees at Los Angeles City College and College of the Canyons in Valencia have agreed to similar schedules.