Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Wednesday introduced a bill to establish a standard four-day workweek in the United States without any reduction in pay.
The bill, over a four-year period, would lower the threshold required for overtime pay, from 40 hours to 32 hours. It would require overtime pay at a rate of 1.5 times a worker’s regular salary for workdays longer than 8 hours, and it would require overtime pay at double a worker’s regular salary for workdays longer than 12 hours.
The Thirty-Two Hour Workweek Act would also protect workers’ pay and benefits to ensure there’s no loss in pay, according to a press release.
Assuming it passes (of course it won’t), I wonder what it will do to a lot of industries where it’s less feasible to make happen.
Firefighters work 24 to 48 hour shifts. So do many eats and paramedics. Nurses and doctors also work odd hours, and they’re already in short supply. Then what about teachers? Are kids only going to go to school 4 days a week as well? The curriculum will have to be trimmed up.
Also, if it all get pay adjusted, in reality, I would imagine a lot of jobs will stop increasing any pay to offset inflation for quite a while, until everyone does end up essentially making less.
This seems hard to pull off while unemployment is low and so many people are poor.