As wages stagnate and productivity rises, workers’ calls for support can be heard louder than ever in 2024.
Bill H.R.1332 was designed to change the average American work week from 40 hours to 32 hours over a three year span and was introduced in the United States House of Representatives on March 1. The legislation will require employers to pay workers overtime for any workday that goes over eight hours in length.
Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) is the biggest proponent of the bill in the public eye, introducing the bill to the public on March 13. Organizations endorsing the bill include the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW).
In 1938, the passing of the Fair Labor Standards Act set the precedent for a 44 hour work week and then a 40 hour work week soon after. America was at a crossroads in the labor and business sectors, trying to balance a growing economy and workers’ needs. Now nearly a century later, the nation is at a similar crossroads.
As changes and adaptations were needed in the mid 1900s when the 40 hour work week was enacted, similar changes and adaptations will be needed in the 2020s if the 32 hour work week becomes mainstream. Given the sheer amount of increased productivity American laborers continue to display for their employers it is natural to believe that wages and benefits have increased parallel to the increase in productivity. However, with American capitalism no mercy will be shown to the workers who make this nation’s daily operations possible.
Over a span of seven decades, wages grew at a 4.4 times slower rate compared to productivity. Declines in unionization rates and spikes in wealth inequality have been one symptom of the epidemic plaguing the United States workforce. With these threats of worsening economic injustices, the 32 hour work week becomes the most viable solution to bridge the gaps in productivity and wages.
In conjunction, many nations have work weeks that average 40 hours or below and are still able to maintain high levels of productivity. The United Kingdom, Denmark, Norway, Switzerland and Italy are all countries which have lower average work weeks in comparison to the United States. While the labor market and job sectors are different amongst each nation, they each have a strong demand for workers and pay their employees livable wages despite the slighter average hours.
A study by Stanford University shows that more work does not equate to more productivity and after approximately 55 hours put in for a week, effectively no work is actually completed due to the productivity levels decreasing sharply. Though employees working jobs that normally require putting over 55 hours a week are often white collar professionals such as investment bankers and real estate financiers who likely benefit from wage workers not being treated justly. All workers deserve to put in the minimum amount of effort possible to benefit both themselves and their employer.
Examples of 32 hour work weeks creating successes for both employer and employees exist as well; Microsoft Japan reported a 40% boost in productivity in 2019 when the company began their 32 hour work week experiment.
However, challenges with a 32 hour work week can arise; What happens with our education system when teachers transition to a four day work week? What will happen to businesses who risk going under due to already rising labor costs and a potential eight hours less of the employees who make the business possible?
However, issues like the ones mentioned are certainly possible and valid to worry about, but not more so than the millions of workers who are plagued by wealth inequality. H.R.1332 is designed to give workers a higher quality of life.
Especially post-pandemic, American workers have often been forced to work more to compensate for rising inflation and higher costs of everyday goods. The federal standard for hourly workers’ work week being 32 hours would allow for these workers to either reduce their hours entirely or to be properly compensated for the extra overtime they have been clocking in.
It is clear that wealth inequality and inflation will continue to plague America’s labor force. When considering the dire situation the nation is in, H.R.1332 can be the first of many steps to ensure a better future and present for American workers.
Jacob Ramos is a 2023-2024 Opinion Editor. He can be reached at jtramos1840@gmail.com.
Edited by Trista Lara