Sen Bernie Sanders introduces bill in Congress to lower workweek to 32 hours

A 32-hour workweek could one day become reality for Americans if new legislation in Congress passes.

The bill seeks to lower the overtime threshold from the current 40 to 32 hours a week.

The bill is titled the Thirty-Two Hour Workweek Act, introduced by Senator Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, and Rep. Mark Takano, Democrat from California.

Besides, lowering the threshold from 40 to 32 hours, the bill seeks to prevent employers from cutting workers’ pay or benefits to make up for the reduced hours.

As per the draft bill, the law would not itself bring about a four-day workweek; instead, it would change the federal overtime law, making it more costly for employers to source workers for extra time than 32 hours workweek.

Describing the context of why there’s a need to get the work hours reduced, Sen. Sanders issued a statement stating, “At a time when artificial intelligence and robotics will radically transform our economy, it is imperative that the financial gains from this new technology benefit working families, not just a handful of billionaires and corporate CEOs.”

“One important way to do that is through a 32-hour workweek with no loss in pay or benefits,” he added.

According to the Department of Labor, as of now, overtime pay qualifies a worker to earn no less than one-and-a-half times their usual rate (at least 150% of normal wage) for any hours that an employee works beyond the 40-hour workweek.

With the GOP holding the majority in Congress, it’s unlikely that this Democratic-backed bill would sail through it and become a law.