32-Hour Workweek For Americans Proposed By RivCo Lawmaker

RIVERSIDE, CA — A bill that would cut the standard American workweek from 40 hours to 32 hours has been introduced by a Riverside County lawmaker.

The "Thirty-Two-Hour Workweek Act" introduced last month by Rep. Mark Takano (D-CA-41) would amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to cut the American workweek by eight hours and mandate time-and-a-half pay for non-exempt employees who exceed 32 hours.

According to Takano, a shorter workweek would benefit both employers and employees alike. Pilot programs run by governments and businesses across the globe have shown promising results as productivity climbed and workers reported better work-life balance, less need to take sick days, heightened morale, and lower childcare expenses because they had more time with their family and children, according to Takano. Shorter workweeks have also been shown to further reduce healthcare premiums for employers, lower operational costs for businesses, and have a positive environmental impact in some of the studies, he continued.

"People continue to work longer hours while their pay remains stagnant. We cannot continue to accept this as our reality," Takano said. "Many countries and businesses that have experimented with a four-day workweek found it to be an overwhelming success as productivity grew and wages increased."

According to the Economic Policy Institute, “Work hours are highly unequal. Millions of people want to work more hours to earn more income while others want to work less to achieve a healthier work/life balance. A 32-hour workweek will directly help those trying to achieve greater work/life balance, while freeing up hours that can be picked up by involuntarily part-time workers. In addition to that, shorter workweeks have important environmental benefits. Reducing Americans’ average workweek is a key step towards achieving a better society.”

American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations President Richard Trumka argues that as workers become more productive, they deserve better pay and more time off.

“Reducing overall working time without any reduction in pay — through shorter workdays and a four-day workweek — makes all the sense in the world because it spreads work hours to more workers and minimizes unemployment," Trumka said.

In addition to the AFL-CIO and the Economic Policy Institute, Takano said his bill is endorsed by Service Employees International Union, the National Employment Law Project, and the United Food and Commercial Workers Union.

Legislation co-sponsors include Rep. Rashida Tlaib (MI-13), Rep. Jan Schakowsky (IL-9), and Rep. Chuy Garcia (IL-4).

The Thirty-Two-Hour Workweek Act that was introduced July 27 is currently sitting in the House Education and Labor Committee and no action has yet been taken on it. Read the bill here.