Bernie Sanders Advocates For A 4-Day Work Week Without Pay Reduction
On Wednesday, Bernie Sanders unveiled a new bill proposing a 32-hour workweek in the United States, ensuring that employees receive the same compensation as they would for a traditional 40-hour workweek.
Named the 'Thirty Two Hour Workweek Act,' the proposed legislation aims to revise the longstanding 40-hour workweek established in 1938, advocating for a shortened 32-hour workweek, distributed across four days with each day consisting of eight hours.
Sanders' plan stipulates that individuals working beyond eight hours per day would receive overtime compensation at a rate of one and a half times their regular pay, while those with workdays exceeding 12 hours would be entitled to double their standard pay.
The Vermont senator receives backing from Senator Laphonza Butler and Mark Takano, a Democratic Representative from California, who previously introduced companion legislation in 2023.
"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," Sanders, 82, stated in a press release.
"That has got to change," he continued. "The financial gains from the major advancements in artificial intelligence, automation, and new technology must benefit the working class, not just corporate CEOs and wealthy stockholders on Wall Street."
Opponents of Sanders' proposal argue that implementing a four-day workweek could adversely affect employers, sparking early opposition to the initiative.
During a session of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, Republican Senator Bill Cassidy from Louisiana expressed his views on the matter.
Per the 'New York Times,' he said the change "would threaten millions of small businesses operating on a razor-thin margin because they are unable to find enough workers."
