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New bill introduced in Congress could lower workweek to 32 hours
The bill would phase in overtime after 32 hours and bar pay cuts, with supporters citing productivity gains and worker demand for shorter schedules.
- Senator Bernie Sanders and Democratic Representative Mark Takano introduced the Thirty-Two Hour Workweek Act this week, proposing to gradually lower the federal overtime threshold from 40 hours to 32 hours per week.
- When Congress passed the Fair Labor Standards Act in 1938, it initially set the overtime threshold at 44 hours, which later fell to 42 hours and eventually the current 40-hour norm.
- Researchers at the University of Cambridge reported that during a 2022 United Kingdom trial involving 61 organizations and about 2,900 workers, sick days fell by 65 percent and staff departures dropped by 57 percent.
- By changing federal overtime law, the bill would make it more expensive for employers to require more than 32 hours of work, while also seeking to prevent employers from cutting workers' pay or benefits.
- Republican Senator Bill Cassidy argued that shortening the standard week could lead to higher prices, reduced hiring, or employers moving jobs elsewhere, countering the bill's intent to protect workers.
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Bernie Sanders' 32-Hour Workweek Proposal: What You Need to Know About the New Congressional Bill
Bernie Sanders and Mark Takano are backing legislation that would gradually lower the US federal overtime threshold from 40 to 32 hours, while adding daily overtime requirements.
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32-Hour Workweek Bill: How Much Do Americans Work and Who Could Benefit?32-Hour Workweek Bill Returns to Congress as Americans Already Work Fewer Hours - FINCHANNEL
A new 32-hour workweek bill would gradually lower the U.S. overtime threshold. Here is how American working hours have changed since the pandemic and how the proposal compares with Canada.
The proposal to reduce the day is linked to the impact that artificial intelligence and robotics will have on employment over the next few decades.
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Total News Sources19
Leaning Left4Leaning Right1Center10Last UpdatedBias Distribution66% Center
Bias Distribution
- 66% of the sources are Center
66% Center
L 27%
C 66%
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