New bill introduced in Congress could lower workweek to 32 hours - USA Today

Americans could one day enjoy a 32-hour workweek if a new bill introduced in Congress this week somehow passes.

Introduced by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, and Rep. Mark Takano, D-California, the Thirty-Two Hour Workweek Act would gradually lower the overtime threshold from the current 40 hours a week to 32.

“At a time when artificial intelligence and robotics will radically transform our economy, it is imperative that the financial gains from this new technology benefit working families, not just a handful of billionaires and corporate CEOs. One important way to do that is through a 32-hour workweek with no loss in pay or benefits,” Sanders said in a Sept. 8 news release.

Although introduced, the chances of this Democrat-led bill passing and becoming law are slim, as Republicans currently control both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

In addition to lowering the threshold, the act would seek to prevent employers from cutting workers' pay or benefits in response to the proposed reduction in work hours.

“Work has fundamentally changed. It’s time that labor standards caught up,” Takano said.

This is not the first time Takano or Sanders have pushed for a shortened workweek in Congress. Takano introduced similar bills in 2021 and 2023. Sanders, meanwhile, introduced legislation in the Senate in 2024 seeking to lower the standard workweek.

If passed, the law would not automatically lead to a four-day workweek; instead, it would change the federal overtime law, making it more expensive for employers to require workers to work more than 32 hours a week.

Currently, overtime pay entitles a worker to be paid at least one-and-a-half times their normal rate for hours worked past 40 in a week, according to the Department of Labor.

The new legislation would lower the federal standard workweek from 40 to 38 hours the first year, 36 in the second, 34 in the third, before eventually reaching the target of 32 hours, according to the act's language.

Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@usatodayco.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.