Bernie Sanders wants the US to adopt a 32-hour workweek. Could workers and companies benefit?

[Omaha Steve]

https://apnews.com/article/32-hour-workweek-bernie-sanders-076c14dd52c7938bfb41e988a9a6d347

By RUSS BYNUM
Updated 11:03 PM CDT, March 15, 2024

The 40-hour workweek has been standard in the U.S. for more than eight decades. Now some members of Congress want to give hourly workers an extra day off.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, the far-left independent from Vermont, this week introduced a bill that would shorten to 32 hours the amount of time many Americans can work each week before they’re owed overtime.

Given advances in automation, robotics and artificial intelligence, Sanders says U.S. companies can afford to give employees more time off without cutting their pay and benefits.

Critics say a mandated shorter week would force many companies to hire additional workers or lose productivity.

FULL story at link above.

[OldBaldy1701E]

1. Oh come on Senator, you know why most don't book workers for 40 hrs/week...

They don't want to pay for benefits and overtime. You move the bar to 32 hours, and shift workers will become a rare and valuable commodity. Not a one will be able to survive doing such work and the ones that can will have better work that is just a good jump in pay away from removing that person from the wage slave pool forever. Wait, let these esteemed business owners explain it better...

https://i.postimg.cc/zBrMSr9B/temp-Image7u-BXx2.avif

[dutch777]

2. Won't work for all jobs, but if there are good productivity metrics I bet there are some 40/wk jobs that could be 32/wk

The job I last worked before retirement was administrative with few consistent repetitive tasks and hard to measure productivity. But if you work something that makes or does 800 of the same something in a 40 hrs/week, and you could in fact manage that in 32 hrs/week thru closer focus, increased automation or other process improvement that should be supported. I would worry that there is danger in the details. I worked jobs where your level of some benefits-- vacation, retirement funding, seniority and others were based on actual hours worked, not weeks/months/years on the job. So you work 40 years but now your retirement is defunded by 20% as an example in a 32 vs 40 hour week.

If 32 vs 40 means less productivity, and we remain in a labor shortage, I am sure businesses would worry that just makes their hiring challenge that much greater. Obviously it would be great for the individual worker's work/life balance if they had an extra day off per week with no loss in pay, benefits and job security but somehow feels there could be unintended consequences for many.

[Valdosta]

3. Probably won't happen this time ...

... but the same could be said of the first few times the 40 hour work week came up.