It turns out some Members of Congress despise the five - day workweek as much as the rest of us . This hebdomad , Rep. Mark Takano of California introduced groundbreaking ceremony legislation meant to make four - day workweeks the norm in the US , rather of the Monday - through - Friday grind full - meter workers have learn to accept as inevitable .
“ Many country and businesses that have try out with a four - day workweek found it to be an overpowering success as productiveness mature and remuneration increased , ” said Takano ina statementabout the propose legislation . He go on to add that especially after a pandemic that leave so many Americansunemployedand uncertain about their fiscal time to come , embracing a shorter workweek would “ allow more people to participate in the labor movement mart at better wages . ”
Takano came up with a clever manner to turn the 5 - day , 40 - hour week into one that endure 4 days — and 32 hours — instead . Specifically , his drafted legislation would lower the maximum minute doorstep for overtime pay under the Fair Labor Standards Act ( FLSA ) . For those incognizant , the FLSA is afederal working class lawpassed back in the late thirties that gives most workers across the land the right wing to a minimum wage , and access to “ time - and - a - half ” overtime salary when those workers are on the clock for more than 40 hours per hebdomad .
Photo: Zach Gibson (Getty Images)
By lower the threshold for what is and is n’t “ overtime , ” Takano ’s marriage offer argues that more people would be able to get at some of that fresh sweet overtime pay that ’s currently uncommitted to those working more than 40 hours per week .
“ I am bring out this legislation to reduce the standard week to 32 hr because — now more than ever — masses continue to work longer 60 minutes while their earnings remains dead , ” Takano live on . “ We can not continue to take this as our reality . ”
The idea of a 32 - hr week has been gaining steam elsewhere around the world . Back in 2019 , John McDonnell — who was then a elderly prime minister with the UK ’s Labour Party — wenton the recordsaying that a 32 - 60 minutes workweek would be potential within the come decade . More recently , Spain poured 50 million euros ( roughly $ 60 million USD ) , into anationwide pilotfor the four - daytime workweek . Over the next three geezerhood , the Spanish government will be fund companies that need a hand making the switch to the 32 - hour model ; and if it takes off , the res publica would be the first to implement the four - day measure on the national level . And that ’s aside from the similar ( already successful trials ) we ’ve seen inIceland , Japan , andNew Zealand .
Of course , California ’s proposed legislation is going to face an uphill struggle before it stool its way into Senate for favorable reception — it still needs to be reviewed by a committee and the House of Representatives — all regular parts of thegeneral churnof turn over a bill into law . And undoubtedly , there ’s going to be citizenry who take ira with Takano ’s choice to focus on FLSA , whichdoesn’t applyto some workers , like private contractors or those in the gig economy . But at the very least , a bill like this could spur all employers to reconsider their policy around the weekend .
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