https://www.deseret.com/utah/2021/12/9/22826837/could-a-32-hour-workweek-become-a-national-labor-requirement-four-day-workweek-congress-progressive
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How does four days on, three days off sound?
Nearly a quarter of the members of the U.S. House of Representatives are throwing their support behind a proposal aiming to institute a national 32-hour workweek policy, according to a Wednesday announcement.
Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif., said his "32 Hour Workweek Act" would reduce the standard workweek from 40 hours to 32 hours by lowering the maximum hours threshold for overtime compensation for non-exempt employees under the Fair Labor Standards Act. While it wouldn't mandate 32-hour weeks for all, those working beyond that mark would be entitled to overtime pay under his proposed changes.
Takano says the bill has earned the backing of the nearly 100 members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and is intended to begin a national transition "toward a modern-day business model that prioritizes productivity, fair pay and an improved quality of life for workers across the country."
"After a nearly two-year-long pandemic that forced millions of people to explore remote and shouldn't simply go back to normal, because normal wasn't working," Takano said in a news release.
"People were spending more time at work, less time with loved ones, their health and well-being was worsening, and all the while, their pay has remained stagnant. This is a serious problem. It's time for progress, and I am confident that with the CPC behind this bill, we can take meaningful steps forward and create positive, lasting change in people's lives."
The Hill reports groups across several countries have experimented with the shortened workweek, with some showing positive signs. A major study of the four-day workweek in Iceland was declared a "major success" in a report issued by the think tank Alda and Autonomy.
"Participating workers took on fewer hours and enjoyed greater well-being, improved work-life balance and a better cooperative spirit in the workplace all while maintaining existing standards of performance and productivity," the report read.
I don't see businesses, especially small businesses, paying the same pay for 32 hours that they pay for 40. With overtime kicking in at 32, I also see less overtime opportunities for employees.Quote:
Takano's proposal, however, is looking to reduce overall worker hours and enhance well-being and a better work-life balance for employees. That's a goal that Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., chairwoman of the Progressive Caucus, said she can get behind.
"For far too long, workers across this country have been forced to put in longer hours as their wages barely budge," Jayapal said in a statement. "It is past time that we put people and communities over corporations and their profits finally prioritizing the health, wellbeing, and basic human dignity of the working class rather than their employers' bottom line.
"The 32-hour workweek would go a long way toward finally righting that balance. I'm proud to join my Progressive Caucus colleagues in supporting Rep. Takano's bill and look forward to continuing the fight together to put power back into the hands of working people as we ensure every worker has good benefits, better conditions, and an equal voice on the job."