January 1, New Bill Would Make 4-Day Workweek the National Standard

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY…
1920: The U.S. Senate rejects the Treaty of Versailles for the 2nd time, refusing to ratify the League of Nations’ covenant — and thereby maintaining the isolation policy.

Democrats are pushing to make four-day workweeks the national standard.

Rep. Mark Takano (D-CA), the bill’s lead sponsor, argues that the change would give Americans more time “to live, play, and enjoy life more fully outside of work.”

Takano introduced “Thirty-Two Hour Workweek Act” to reduce the standard workweek from 40 hours to 32. The bill would amend the definition of the standard workweek in the federal Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 for non-exempt employees — meaning employees who aren’t entitled to overtime when they exceed 40 hours in a week’s time.

If passed, the bill would require overtime pay for any hourly employee working more than 32 hours in one week.

“The 32-hour workweek discussion is already occurring in certain sectors of the economy. … Panasonic went to a 32-hour workweek. Kickstarter is a company that has explored this and one of their executives is a cheerleader for this whole movement,” Takano told The Washington Post. “What we need to examine is how this can become the norm across the various workforces in America.”

Supporters of the four-day workweek point out that the length of a standard workweek hasn’t changed since 1940, despite major changes in technology that allow for increased output.

Could a four-day workweek become law?

First, the legislation needs to successfully pass through the House Education and the Workforce Committee. Takano, the bill’s lead sponsor, is a member of the committee — but the committee’s chair has indicated that she’s not a supporter of “top-down federal mandates.”

“One of my top priorities as the Chairwoman of the Education and the Workforce Committee is the creation of policies that promote flexibility and choices for workers and job creators,” Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) said in a statement. “However, blanket federal regulations often cause more harm than good and do not account for the unique needs of industries, communities, and small businesses. Main Street America is still recovering from pandemic-era shutdowns—it does not need more top-down federal mandates.”

Source: The Hill