Sen. Bernie Sanders to introduce legislation to cut workweek to 32 hours

Sen. Bernard Sanders will unveil legislation Thursday that would establish a 32-hour workweek with no loss of pay, an idea he has been pushing for over a year.

“Moving to a 32-hour workweek with no loss of pay is not a radical idea,” said Mr. Sanders, a democratic socialist from Vermont. “Today, American workers are over 400% 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.”

Mr. Sanders, who chairs the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, said that the “financial gains” of major advancements in artificial intelligence and other technology should not only benefit corporate CEOs and stockholders but also the working class.

“It is time to reduce the stress level in our country and allow Americans to enjoy a better quality of life,” he said.

Critics warn that shortening the workweek is a “job killer.” They argue that it could reduce revenue and trigger layoffs, as fewer hours worked may result in reduced output, particularly in labor-intensive industries.

Mr. Sanders’ committee will hold a hearing on the bill Thursday. It will feature testimony from United Auto Workers International President Shawn Fain, Boston College sociology professor Juliet Schor who is the lead researcher at Four Day Week Global Trials, and Jon Leland, the chief strategy officer of crowdfunding startup Kickstarter who cofounded WorkFour, the national campaign for the four-day workweek.

The legislation aims to reduce the standard workweek from 40 hours to 32 hours over four years by lowering the maximum hours for overtime compensation for non-exempt employees.

The legislation would require overtime pay at time and a half for workdays longer than eight hours and double for workdays longer than 12 hours. It would protect workers’ pay and benefits to make sure the cut in workweek hours doesn’t affect pay.

Mr. Sanders introduced the bill with Sen. Laphonza Butler and Democratic Rep. Mark Takano, both California Democrats. Mr. Takano has led other 32-hour workweek bills in previous House sessions.

The Thirty-Two Hour Workweek Act has been endorsed by several labor unions besides UAW, including the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, the Service Employees International Union and the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union.