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The majority of employed individuals in the United States express a desire for a shorter, four-day work week. If the opposition is overcome, legislation in Congress could possibly bring about a 32-hour work week.
On Thursday, US Senator Bernie Sanders unveiled legislation that would effectively establish a 32-work week in the US without a loss in pay, eliminating one eight-hour work day from millions of Americans’ work weeks.
The proposal aims to reduce the minimum work hours for overtime pay from 40 to 32 and require hourly employees to receive time-and-a-half pay for any hours worked over eight hours in a day. Additionally, workers would receive double pay for any hours exceeding 12 in a day. This could potentially dissuade employers from keeping their employees working more than 32 hours per week.
During his statement to the Senate’s Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee on Thursday, the liberal senator from Vermont, who also happens to be the committee’s chair, discussed various issues such as the increasing use of automation and artificial intelligence, significant improvements in worker productivity, major discrepancies in salaries between employees and CEOs, the trend of shrinkflation, and declining earnings adjusted for inflation.
He stated, “This concept is not revolutionary.” “Who reaps the advantages of advancing technology?” “Is it the highly affluent individuals or the struggling labor force who are getting left behind?”
Mark Takano, a Democratic representative from California, who presented a similar bill in the House of Representatives, referred to the plan as a “game-changing” initiative that would benefit both employees and their workplaces.
The bill is unlikely to be approved by the currently Republican-dominated House, and only has a small chance of being approved by the narrowly Democratically-controlled Senate. However, the proposals could provide an opportunity for progressive legislators, labor unions, and advocates to push Congress into discussing the future of work.
Mr. Sanders joked on Thursday that the bill most likely would not pass tomorrow.
He stated that it is not a new concept presented to Congress, but rather one that has not been addressed in many decades.
In 1955, politicians discussed the matter, led by former UAW leader Walter Reuther, who presented a vision of “automation” to Congress. This could potentially shorten work hours and act as a “shock absorber” to minimize the effects of sudden increases in production and job needs in the business world, according to Mr Sanders’ recollection.
“Despite significant advancements in technology and a substantial increase in worker productivity, approximately 70 years later, there has been no change in the length of the work week,” the speaker reflected. “It’s worth contemplating how much has shifted in our economy, yet this fundamental aspect remains the same.”
On March 14th, Senator Bernie Sanders, from Vermont, leads a hearing for the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee.
Shawn Fain, the current head of the UAW, addressed the Senate committee and discussed how autoworkers often undergo hip and shoulder surgeries due to extended periods of time on the factory floor. He stated that at the end of their careers, workers do not regret not working longer or earning more money, but rather wish they had more time.
According to Mr. Sanders, over 28.5 million people in America are employed for 60 or more hours per week.
In a conversation 80 years ago, it was discussed that a typical workweek consisted of 40 hours. Surprisingly, even with the advancements in technology, many people still work this same amount today. Unfortunately, it is a troubling fact that Americans now spend more time working than citizens of other prosperous countries.
Mr. Sanders stated that despite increases in productivity and technology, as well as long working hours, a significant number of Americans are still struggling to make ends meet and meet their basic needs, living from one paycheck to the next.
The query at hand is quite straightforward – should we persist in the pattern of technology exclusively aiding those in power, or should we insist that these revolutionary advancements also bring benefit to the working class? “And one of these benefits must be a 32-hour workweek,” he added.
Source: independent.co.uk
