The Thirty-Two Hour Workweek Act, introduced by Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Mark Takano, would phase the federal overtime threshold down from 40 to 32 hours over four years (40→38→36→34→32). The bill includes protections intended to prevent cuts to pay or benefits as hours are reduced. It would change overtime rules — making hours beyond the new threshold more costly for employers — but would not automatically create a four‑day workweek.
New Bill Would Phase Federal Workweek to 32 Hours — What It Would Mean for Workers and Employers
U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) speaks at The People V. The Powerful rally at the Detroit Opera House on July 18, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan.
Americans could see the federal standard workweek shrink to 32 hours if a new bill introduced in Congress becomes law. The Thirty-Two Hour Workweek Act, filed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I‑Vt.) and Rep. Mark Takano (D‑Calif.), would gradually reduce the overtime threshold from the current 40 hours to 32, while including protections to prevent cuts to pay or benefits as hours are reduced.
What the Bill Would Do
The legislation phases down the federal standard workweek over four years: 40 hours to 38 in Year One, 36 in Year Two, 34 in Year Three and 32 in Year Four. Rather than mandating a four‑day schedule, the bill changes the federal overtime law so that employers must pay overtime (at one-and-a-half times the regular rate) for hours worked beyond the new weekly threshold as it phases in.
Sponsors' Rationale
“At a time when artificial intelligence and robotics will radically transform our economy, it is imperative that the financial gains from this new technology benefit working families, not just a handful of billionaires and corporate CEOs. One important way to do that is through a 32‑hour workweek with no loss in pay or benefits,” Sen. Sanders said in a Sept. 8 news release.
“Work has fundamentally changed. It's time that labor standards caught up,” Rep. Takano added, arguing the law should reflect changes in how people work.
Protections And Practical Effects
The bill includes provisions intended to prevent employers from offsetting reduced hours by cutting wages or benefits. If enacted, the change would make extended workweeks more costly for employers because overtime pay obligations would begin at the lower threshold — but it would not itself dictate whether employers adopt four‑day schedules.
Background
This is not the first time either sponsor has pursued a shortened workweek: Takano introduced similar measures in 2021 and 2023, and Sanders proposed related Senate legislation in 2024. The proposal is framed as a national effort to help distribute gains from automation and artificial intelligence more broadly across the workforce.
Current law: Under Department of Labor rules, nonexempt workers are entitled to at least one-and-a-half times their regular pay for hours worked beyond 40 in a week. The Thirty-Two Hour Workweek Act would lower that overtime threshold in stages, increasing employer overtime costs for longer workweeks.
Reporting credit: Fernando Cervantes Jr., USA TODAY.
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