Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Wednesday introduced a bill to establish a standard four-day workweek in the United States without any reduction in pay.
The bill, over a four-year period, would lower the threshold required for overtime pay, from 40 hours to 32 hours. It would require overtime pay at a rate of 1.5 times a worker’s regular salary for workdays longer than 8 hours, and it would require overtime pay at double a worker’s regular salary for workdays longer than 12 hours.
The Thirty-Two Hour Workweek Act would also protect workers’ pay and benefits to ensure there’s no loss in pay, according to a press release.
90% of my company is salary and already work more than 40 hours a week. Our hourly employees need to be available to support our salaried employees 5 days a week. It’s exciting to think that we’ll all get Fridays off but I bet most companies would just implement 2 hour staggered lunch breaks and office hours would still be 9-5 but people would only work 6.5 hours a day. I know there would be a mutiny at my firm if suddenly all the lowest level employees got permanent 3 day weekends.
