Legislation Proposes Shift to 32-Hour Workweek in the U.S.

A new legislative proposal seeks to transition the United States toward a 32-hour standard workweek. Independent Senator Bernie Sanders and Democratic Representative Mark Takano introduced the Thirty-Two Hour Workweek Act. This bill argues for workers’ right to share in productivity gains resulting from AI and automation.

Key Elements of the Proposal

The proposal aims to gradually reduce the overtime threshold from the current 40-hour workweek to 32 hours. This change would not automatically mandate a Monday-to-Thursday work schedule. Instead, it would amend federal overtime laws, making it costlier for employers to require more than 32 hours of work without compensating with overtime pay.

Implementation Plan

The proposed phase-in process includes lowering the overtime threshold as follows:

• 38 hours in the first year
• 36 hours in the second year
• 34 hours in the third year
• 32 hours subsequently

Employers may still request longer hours, but eligible employees working beyond the final threshold would earn overtime pay starting at the 33rd hour. Additionally, the legislation includes daily overtime pay requirements, granting time-and-a-half after eight hours and double pay after 12 hours in a day.

The act ensures that reducing the standard workweek would not lead to decreased pay or benefits for employees. However, businesses would maintain the discretion to schedule 32 hours over any number of days and will not automatically ensure a permanent three-day weekend.

Historical Context and Regional Experiments

When the Fair Labor Standards Act passed in 1938, it initially set the overtime limit at 44 hours, which reduced over time to the current 40-hour standard. Maryland considered a similar four-day workweek pilot in 2023, while San Juan County in Washington state has already embraced a 32-hour workweek model permanently. In the UK in 2022, a trial involving 2,900 workers from 61 organizations reduced working hours by 20% without cutting salaries, yielding fewer sick days and employee departures.

Support and Opposition

Advocates suggest that technological advancements boosting productivity should translate into more free time for workers. Sanders emphasized that improvements in technology should benefit workers’ lives rather than just enhance corporate profits. Opponents argue that reducing work hours while maintaining pay levels could lead to increased labor costs, potentially causing companies to raise prices or outsource jobs, as expressed by Republican Senator Bill Cassidy during a 2024 Senate hearing.