House liberals back bill to cut working week to four days: Lawmakers say Americans 'can't simply go back to normal' after the pandemic and it's time to put 'people and communities over corporations and their profits'
Progressive House members are rallying behind a push for a four-day work week.
The legislation, spearheaded by Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif., would shorten the standard US work week from 40 hours to 32 hours by lowering the maximum threshold for overtime pay to kick in for non-exempt employees under the Fair Labor Standards Act.
Salaried employees and gig workers are excluded from overtime pay requirements.
The 95- member House Progressive Caucus endorsed the plan this week.
'After a nearly two-year-long pandemic that forced millions of people to explore remote work options, it's safe to say that we can't – and shouldn't – simply go back to normal, because normal wasn't working,' Takano said in a statement on the bill.
'People were spending more time at work, less time with loved ones, their health and well-being was worsening, and all the while, their pay has remained stagnant.'
'It is past time that we put people and communities over corporations and their profits — finally prioritizing the health, wellbeing, and basic human dignity of the working class rather than their employers' bottom line,' Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., chair of the Progressive Caucus, said. 'The 32-hour work week would go a long way toward finally righting that balance.'
Companies in the US and across the globe have been trending toward more flexible work policies, particularly given the hot job market where they have to work to attract employees.
The legislation, spearheaded by Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif., above, would shorten the standard US work week from 40 hours to 32 hours by lowering the maximum threshold for overtime pay to kick in for non-exempt employees under the Fair Labor Standards Act
'It is past time that we put people and communities over corporations and their profits — finally prioritizing the health, wellbeing, and basic human dignity of the working class rather than their employers' bottom line,' Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., chair of the Progressive Caucus, said
France famously mandated a 35-hour work week in 2000, though many in the private sector still work more.
Numerous studies have found the average employee is only productive for three hours a day, the rest of the time spent scrolling social media, reading the news, looking for new jobs and chatting with colleagues.
One study has shown that the average American worker has added 3.5 hours of work to their week between 1979 and 2007, though wages have remained stagnant when adjusted for inflation.
US crowdfunding company Kickstarter is testing out the shorter work week next year, following smaller software companies that have done the same.
New Zealand financial services company launched a four-day work week trial in 2018 and saw a 20% increase in productivity while employees reported a better work-life balance and lower stress levels.
Some companies have tried out the four-day work week before reverting back to a standard five days. London-based Wellcome Trust, the world's second biggest research donor, ended its four day work week in 2019 for its 800 office staff, deeming it 'too operationally complex to implement.'
US-based Treehouse, a tech HR firm, scrapped its four-day work week in 2016 after it said it failed to keep up with competition.
No comments