California Rep. Mark Takano and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders have reintroduced the Thirty-Two Hour Workweek Act, a federal proposal that would lower the standard federal workweek from 40 hours to 32.
That means eligible workers could become eligible for time-and-a-half pay after 32 hours rather than 40. California already has some of the country’s strongest overtime protections, but that change could still have a noticeable effect here.
How would a 32-hour workweek would work in California?
In California, most nonexempt employees are entitled to overtime after eight hours in a day or 40 hours in a week. But by changing the weekly limit from 40 hours to 32, Californians could start receiving overtime after the fourth eight-hour day in a week, creating an incentive for employers to move eligible workers to four eight-hour days.
The proposed rollout would take several years, with the overtime threshold dropping from 40 to 38 hours in the first year, then 36, 34, and ultimately 32 in the fourth year. The proposal also specifies that employers could not simply offset the shorter workweek by cutting an effected worker’s pay or regular compensation rate.
“The 40-hour workweek was established in law nearly 90 years ago,” said Congressman Mark Takano in a press release. “Since then, cell phones, the internet, and now AI have increased worker productivity, but the profits have been largely concentrated at the top by billionaires and corporations. Work has fundamentally changed.”
Said Bernie Sanders, “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.”
The Thirty-Two Hour Workweek act is still only a bill for now, following similar versions that have already been introduced but not passed.