Bernie Sanders Is Back With His 4-Day Workweek Plan With No Pay Cut: 'Not A Radical Idea'

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has put forward a bill proposing a four-day, 32-hour workweek standard in the United States without any pay reduction.

What Happened: The proposed legislation would lower the overtime threshold from 40 hours to 32 hours over four years. It mandates overtime pay at 1.5 times a worker’s regular salary for workdays exceeding 8 hours and double the salary for workdays over 12 hours, The Hill reported.

The Thirty-Two-Hour Workweek Act intends to protect workers’ pay and benefits to avoid any pay loss. The legislation also aims to ensure that workers benefit from the significant increase in productivity driven by AI, automation, and new technology.

“Moving to a 32-hour workweek with no loss of pay is not a radical idea,” Sanders stated.

He added that despite American workers being over 400% more productive than in the 1940s, many work longer hours for lower wages.

See Also: Expert Calls Trump’s $91.6M Bond Payment A ‘National Security Nightmare,’ Raising ‘Troubling New Questions’

The bill was introduced along with Sen. Laphonza Butler (D-Calif.) and Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.) who also introduced companion legislation in the House. The proposed legislation is ahead of a Senate Committee hearing on the same topic.

Sanders cited several studies showing productivity improvements with a four-day workweek and mentioned countries like France, Norway, and Denmark that have already shortened workweeks.

Why It Matters: Sanders has been a long-time advocate for this change. In an op-ed for The Guardian last year, Sanders argued for a 20% cut in the standard 40-hour workweek. Sanders’ rallying cry resonates with the ongoing initiatives by labor unions. The UAW is also pushing for a four-day workweek while preserving the pay for a five-day week, a demand that Sanders supports.

The idea of a four-day workweek has been gaining traction, with a successful pilot program in the U.K. earlier this year. "We have observed some interest in compressing the workday in the stock market, but nothing concrete as of yet,” said Alex Soojung-Kim Pang, global programs director for 4 Day Week Global, the nonprofit that carried out a groundbreaking study that is changing the perspective companies have on how long the work week should last.

A non-profit called 4 Day Week Global in mid-May last year announced the results of a pilot program run in Australasian countries, which showed that companies reported greater satisfaction with business productivity, performance and ability to attract employees.

Read Next: Chief Of Staff Of Deceased Russian Opposition Leader Brutally Attacked With Tear Gas, Hammer In Lithuania

Photo by Joseph Sohm on Shutterstock

This content was partially produced with the help of Benzinga Neuro and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.