A new bill introduced in Congress and co-sponsored bySen. Bernie Sanderscould shorten the standard workweek for millions of Americans.
The Thirty-Two Hour Workweek Act, first introduced by Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif., in 2021, would amend the Fair Labor Standards Act to reduce the standard workweek for nonexempt employees from 40 hours to 32 hours.
Under the proposal, covered employees would be eligible for overtime pay for any hours worked beyond 32 hours in a standard workweek.
“It’s time for labor law to catch up to the modern-day nature of work,” Takano said in a news release. “Since 1979, American workers’ productivity has risen 93.2% while wages have risen only 33.7%.”
The news release argues that while Americans are more productive than ever,
wages have remained relatively stagnant and federal labor protections have not undergone meaningful changes in more than 85 years.
“At a time when artificial intelligence and robotics will radically transform our economy, it is imperative that the financial gains from this new technology benefit working families, not just a handful of billionaires and corporate CEOs,” Sanders said in the news release. “One important way to do that is through a 32-hour workweek with no loss in pay or benefits.”
If passed, the law would not automatically lead to a four-day workweek; instead, it would change the federal overtime law, making it more expensive for employers to require workers to work more than 32 hours a week, USA TODAY reported.
Currently, overtime pay entitles a worker to be paid at least one-and-a-half times their normal rate for hours worked past 40 in a week, according to the Department of Labor.
USA TODAY contributed to this story.
Natassia Paloma may be reached at npaloma@gannett.com, @NatassiaPaloma on X, natassia_paloma on Instagram, and Natassia Paloma on Facebook.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: 32-hour workweek? Bernie Sanders backs shorter workweek bill
