Representative Mark Takano and Senator Bernie Sanders on Sept. 8 reintroduced the Thirty-Two Hour Workweek Act, a bill to move the U.S. toward a 32 hour work week by amending the Fair Labor Standards Act.
The reintroduction was announced in press releases from Takano’s office and Sanders’ Senate office, which say the bill would make covered nonexempt employees eligible for overtime pay for any hours worked beyond 32 in a standard workweek and preserve pay and benefits, not cut them.
The Sanders release notes the bill ties the proposal to automation and AI, arguing that increased productivity should benefit workers; Sanders’ statement cites a claim that nearly $80 trillion in wealth has been redistributed from the bottom 90% to the top 1% as part of the rationale for the change.
Takano’s statement says the 40-hour week was written into law nearly 90 years ago and argues modern technology has boosted productivity without comparable wage gains; his office posted the full bill text and a fact sheet linked in the release.
The Thirty-Two Hour Workweek Act has a record in Congress: versions of the bill have been filed before and the measure would amend the Fair Labor Standards Act to lower the standard hours and shift overtime eligibility, according to congressional bill records.
Labor and professional groups listed as endorsers in the releases include national unions such as the AFL-CIO, SEIU and UAW, and unions representing nurses and flight attendants, indicating organized-labor backing for the 32 hour work week proposal.
Opponents have already begun to weigh in: business commentators warned shorter statutory hours could raise costs for employers, a position reflected in coverage by business outlets that framed the plan as potentially raising prices or altering hiring structures.
How the bill would move through Congress remains uncertain. The Sanders and Takano releases present the measure as a response to long-term productivity gains and the growth of AI, but neither release claims the bill has secured enough votes for passage; congressional history shows similar measures have previously stalled in committee.
The article examines what the Thirty-Two Hour Workweek Act would change for hourly workers and why its sponsors frame it as an update to labor law amid automation and rising productivity.
Sources
- takano.house.gov — reintroduction announcement, bill text link, Takano quoted on modern productivity and 40-hour history.
- sanders.senate.gov — press release framing the bill around AI and automation, Sanders quoted on wealth redistribution and worker pay; list of endorsers and fact sheet link.
- Congress.gov — official bill summary and text for the Thirty-Two Hour Workweek Act and prior bill history in Congress.
