US senetor Bernie Sanders
Sanders Proposes Four-Day Workweek Amid AI Advancements
Senator Bernie Sanders has renewed his push for a significant change in American labor policy by advocating for a four-day workweek. This proposal, reintroduced alongside Rep. Mark Takano, aims to reduce the standard workweek from 40 to 32 hours over a four-year period, without diminishing employee pay or benefits.
This legislative effort comes as discussions around artificial intelligence (AI) intensify, particularly regarding its potential to enhance productivity. Sanders argues that as AI enables companies to achieve more with fewer human hours, workers should benefit from this increased efficiency through reduced working hours.
The Thirty-Two Hour Workweek Act would adjust the overtime threshold, gradually lowering it to 32 hours over four years. Employers would still have the option to schedule longer hours, but employees would receive overtime pay for any hours worked beyond the new threshold. Additionally, the legislation proposes overtime pay for any work exceeding eight hours in a single day and double pay for hours worked beyond 12.
Sanders has previously linked this proposal to the impact of AI and automation on the workforce, emphasizing that productivity gains should not solely favor corporate executives. This initiative seeks to ensure that the benefits of technological advancements are equitably shared with employees.
A study cited by the bill’s supporters estimates that AI-driven productivity gains could potentially allow 35 million US workers, or about 28% of the workforce, to move to a 32-hour week within a decade. It’s time that labor standards caught up.” The legislation was initially introduced in 2021, while Sanders introduced a Senate version in 2024 before the two lawmakers brought it back this month. The US federal 40-hour workweek dates back to the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, which initially established a 44-hour standard before reducing it to 40 hours by 1940. During a 2024 hearing on Sanders’ earlier bill, Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy argued that higher labour costs could increase prices and create difficulties for businesses operating on thin margins.
Because productivity has increased substantially since then. Research from four-day-workweek trials has also reported lower burnout and improvements in measures such as job satisfaction, health, and work ability among participating employees. However, moving from voluntary experiments to a nationwide labour standard could have broader consequences, sanders and supporters of the new legislation argue that another reduction is now possible.
“A 32-hour workweek is not a radical idea,” Sanders said, according to a report by Fortune. “It’s time to reduce the stress level in our country.” The proposal comes as businesses increasingly use generative AI and automation to produce more output with fewer human hours. Takano, who has previously introduced the legislation, said labour standards have not kept pace with technological changes. “Since then, cell phones, the internet, and now AI have increased worker productivity,” he said.
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