Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) is leading renewed efforts to enact a 32-hour work week nationally — one that results in virtually no pay cuts.
Sanders, who heads the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, will introduce legislation on Thursday that seeks to reduce the standard federal work week from 40 to 32 hours, without reducing compensation. Sanders justified the shift in working hours by citing productivity gains brought about by automation and artificial intelligence.
“The economic gains from major advances in artificial intelligence, automation and new technology must benefit the working class, not just corporate executives and wealthy shareholders on Wall Street,” Sanders said in a statement.
The 40-hour federal standard work week was established in 1940, a few years after President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Fair Labor Standards Act. Sen. LaPhonza Butler (D-CA) will co-sponsor Sanders' legislation, saying in a statement: “The Thirty-Two Hour Workweek Act would allow hard-working Americans to spend more time with their families while protecting their paychecks ».
In the House, Rep. Mark Takano (D-CA) introduced similar legislation in 2021, though it failed to make waves in the GOP-controlled legislature. Takano's bill, reintroduced last year, would shorten the standard federal workweek from 40 hours to 32 hours over a three-year phase-in period. The bill would also standardize language regarding overtime pay for workdays exceeding eight hours.
It had corresponding legislation recommended in Californiawhich would reduce the standard workweek to 32 hours per week for companies with more than 500 employees, though it has not passed the state legislature.
Although such legislation has yet to reach a legislative vote, some trade organizations have expressed criticism of the 32-hour work week. The Society for Human Resource Management, a trade association for human resource professionals, opposed the California bill in 2022with Chief of Staff Emily M. Dickens calling it “a one-size-fits-all approach” that would “create a significant logistical burden for HR professionals.”
Although no country has a standard 32-hour work week codified into law, many have shorter work weeks on average than the United States. France has had a federal 35-hour workweek since 2000, and several Nordic countries, such as Denmark and Norway, also have workweeks under 40 hours. Supporters of the 32-hour work week legislation include the United Auto Workers, AFL-CIO, SEIU and many other major labor unions.
“It's time to lower the level of stress in our country and allow Americans to enjoy a better quality of life,” Sanders said. “It's time for a 32-hour work week with no loss of pay.”
from our partners at https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/bernie-sanders-32-hour-work-week-bill-1234987292/