Bernie’s Plan: Shorter Weeks, Bigger Benefits? The Impact on Your Work Life
Written by
Vance Cariaga
Edited by
Nicholas Morine
Commitment to Our Readers
GOBankingRates' editorial team is committed to bringing you unbiased reviews and information. We use data-driven methodologies to evaluate financial products and services - our reviews and ratings are not influenced by advertisers. You can read more about our editorial guidelines and our products and services review methodology.
20 Years
Helping You Live Richer
Reviewed
by Experts
Trusted by
Millions of Readers
At 82-years-old, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is one of the oldest members of Congress, yet he’s still younger than the 40-hour workweek. Sanders was born in 1941 — a year after the 40-hour workweek was established by the Fair Labor Standards Act. Now Sanders wants to reduce the standard workweek, but it’s probably a long shot
As Sanders noted on his Senate.gov page, American workers are more than 400% more productive now than they were when the 40-hour week began, mainly due to technological advances. However, weekly wages for the average U.S. worker are “actually lower” than they were 50 years ago after adjusting for inflation. At the same time, CEOs today earn nearly 400 times more than what their employees earn, per Sanders.
“It’s time that working families — not just CEOs and wealthy shareholders — are able to benefit from increased productivity so that they can enjoy more leisure time, family time, education and cultural opportunities, and less stress,” Sanders stated in a fact sheet accompanying his proposed Thirty-Two Hour Workweek Act.
What Would the Thirty-Two Hour Workweek Act Entail?
If passed, the act would do the following:
- Reduce the standard workweek from 40 to 32 hours over four years by lowering the maximum hours threshold for overtime compensation for non-exempt employees. The practical impact is that workers would have a three-day weekend.
- Require overtime pay at time and a half for workdays longer than eight hours, and overtime pay at double a worker’s regular pay for workdays longer than 12 hours.
- Protect workers’ pay and benefits to ensure that a reduction in the workweek does not cause a loss in pay.
According to the fact sheet, moving to a 32-hour workweek with no loss of pay is “not a radical idea.” France already has a 35-hour workweek and is considering reducing it to 32 hours. Workweeks in Norway and Denmark both rest at about 37 hours.
Sanders cited a recent study estimating that 35 million U.S. workers — more than one-quarter of the total workforce — could have a four-day workweek within a decade due to AI-led productivity gains. A separate study of British companies that adopted a 32-hour workweek found that employees came to work less stressed and more focused with no decline in revenue.
Under Sanders’ plan, employers would be prohibited from reducing their workers’ pay and benefits to match their lost hours, the AP reported. The wild card is whether Sanders can convince enough members of Congress to go along with the plan.
As the AP noted, a 32-hour workweek might work well enough for companies where employees spend most of their time at computers or in meetings, but it could be “disastrous” for production at manufacturing plants that require workers to be physically present on assembly lines.
“These are concepts that have consequences,” Roger King, of the HR Policy Association, told a Senate committee that is weighing the issue. “It just doesn’t work in many industries.”
There is “considerable opposition” from Senate Republicans and even some Democrats to the Sanders plan, according to the AP, which means it probably won’t advance past the Senate. In addition, a companion House bill by U.S. Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.) is “likely doomed” as well.
More From GOBankingRates
