WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif., and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., introduced legislation this week that would gradually reduce the standard workweek to 32 hours over four years.
The Thirty-Two Hour Workweek Act would require employers to pay overtime at one-and-a-half times the regular rate for work exceeding 32 hours per week.
The measure would not require employers to reduce employees’ working hours, but it would make hours beyond 32 subject to overtime pay.
The bill would also prevent employers from reducing workers’ pay or benefits because of the shorter standard workweek.
Takano and Sanders have introduced similar legislation three other times since 2021.
The bill faces an uphill path in Congress, where Republicans control both the House and Senate.
“Work has fundamentally changed,” Takano said in a statement. “It’s time that labor standards caught up. I’m proud to continue partnering with Senator Sanders in reintroducing this bill to make sure that the gains from historically high productivity are felt by all American workers.”
