What is the Thirty-Two Hour Work Week Act? Sen. Bernie Sanders pushes new bill to reduce standard work week without a pay cut

Bernie Sanders introduced new legislation that would reduce a standard work week from 40 hours to 32 hours with no loss in pay. On Thursday, March 14, 2024, the Vermont senator chaired the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee (HELP) to push the bill titled "Thirty-Two Hour Work Week Act."

"Today, American workers are over 400 percent more productive than they were in the 1940s. And yet, millions of Americans are working longer hours for lower wages than they were decades ago. That has got to change," Bernie explained arguing that this is not a radical idea.

The bill will reduce working hours to four days and limit the maximum number of hours required for overtime compensation for non-exempt employees. It also proposes overtime at one and a half times regular pay for workdays that last more than 8 hours and double if their workday is longer than 12 hours.

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Bernie Sanders spearheaded the bill along with Senator Laphonza Butler and Rep Mark Takano

The current 40-hour work week was established as a federal law in the 1940s under the Fair Labor Standards Act. Per a statement on Bernie Sanders's website, all profits from advancements in technology like automation and AI, do not benefit the working class but rather "CEOs and wealthy stockholders on Wall Street."

"It is time to reduce the stress level in our country and allow Americans to enjoy a better quality of life. It is time for a 32-hour workweek with no loss in pay," Sanders said via the official press release on his website.

The bill was spearheaded by Bernie Sanders along with Senator Laphonza Butler and Rep. Mark Takano, both Democrats from California. Butler explained that the Thirty-Two Hour Work Week Act would allow workers to spend more time with their families while safeguarding their salaries.

Bernie Sanders brought Boston College sociology professor Dr. Juliet Schor, United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain, and Jon Leland, chief strategy officer of Kickstarter and co-founder of WorkFour, to testify in support of the proposal.

Fain pointed out that many workers in the U.S. work more for less pay and retire much later in life when they could be dealing with health problems.

"The truth is working-class people aren’t lazy. They’re fed up. They’re fed up with being left behind and stripped of dignity as wealth inequality in this nation, this world, spirals out of control," added Fain.

He continued:

"They’re fed up in America. In America, three families have as much wealth as the bottom 50% of citizens in this nation. That is criminal."

Bill Cassidy was quick to counter that workers in the United States have a balanced work and personal life. He explained that individual businesses could benefit from the proposed system if it was conducive to their specific lines of work. However, a mandated 32-hour work week would be detrimental to small businesses, restaurants, and traders.

He cautioned that a reduced work week would appear beneficial in the short term but could later lead to layoffs if businesses could not keep up with many opting for offshore jobs. Senator Mike Braun shares sentiments similar to those of Cassidy.

Bernie Sanders's proposal is not novel and has been on the political agenda of several countries, including France and Denmark. Recently, many top executives, including Bill Gates and JPMorgan Chase & Co. CEO Jamie Dimon, have predicted that due to technological advancements, individuals could be looking at a three-and-a-half-day work week.