Changing American Life... For The Better

There’s No Reason— Other Than Republicans— That We Can’t Have A 4 Day Work Week

Today Riverside Congressman Mark Takano re-introduced a bill “to amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to reduce the standard workweek from 40 hours per week to 32 hours per week.” The way the bill is written would require employers to pay overtime compensation to employees whose work exceeds 32 hours in a standard work week. Takano and other progressives have made the point that for decades, workers have been working longer hours while productivity has skyrocketed— yet, in that same period, wages have remained stagnant. On average, U.S. workers work 200 hours more per year than workers in other developed countries. The COVID-19 pandemic transformed the conversation around the future of work. Takano makes the point that it’s “time the United States equally prioritize quality of life and productivity.”

Yesterday, he told me that “At a time when the nature of work is rapidly changing, it’s incumbent upon us to explore all possible means of ensuring our modern business model prioritizes productivity, fair pay, and an improved quality of life for workers.” He said he is reintroducing the bill because “people continue to work longer hours while their pay remains stagnant” and he says there’s no reason to assume this has to be our reality. “Many countries and businesses,” he said, “that have experimented with a four-day workweek found it to be an overwhelming success as productivity grew and wages increased.”

This morning, Pramila Jayapal, an original co-sponsor of the bill, and chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus told me that “companies that have tested a 32-hour work week have seen less burn out and growing revenues. Workers in Seattle and across our country deserve the time and flexibility provided by a shorter work week, and we know that it doesn’t affect bottom lines. It’s time to finally prioritize workers over profits.”

Ted Lieu, both a CPC member and a House leadership member, told me he’s supporting Takano’s legislation and noted that “Throughout the arc of human history, advances in civilization have reduced the amount of time humans needed to work. We started off working 7 days a week hunting and gathering merely to survive. Then humans discovered farming. And tools. And the steam engine. And electricity. And the computer. We went from working 7 days a week, to 6 days to 5 days to 5 days plus vacation time. With advances in automation and artificial intelligence, many workers will be just as productive working a four day work week as they do now. The time has come for society to move towards a 4 day work week.”

Pervez Agwan is the progressive candidate running for Congress in Houston. "In this new economy where technology and automation have yielded record worker productivity," he told me this morning, "we cannot let mega-corporations continue to rake in billions in profits while everyday workers continue to be exploited. The billionaires and CEOs cannot have it all-- either pay American workers more, or give them their well deserved 4 day work week." If you'd like to help support Agwan's election campaign, you can do it here.

Last year, when Takano first introduced the bill, the NY Times

emphasized that “The change would not force employers to shift to a four-day workweek model, but rather, to begin paying their employees overtime after 32 hours… In other parts of the world, the idea of the four-day workweek has already taken hold. In March 2021, the Spanish government said it would offer 200 companies the chance to apply for subsidies to introduce four-day workweeks without salary reductions. Unilever in New Zealand also tested the idea. It delivered a surprising result: Workers were more productive.”

In California, several tech companies have made the switch, a factor that Takano says he hopes will bode well for the bill’s popularity. In January, the company Bolt, based in San Francisco, decided to permanently offer its employees a 32-hour week, citing higher efficiency among the majority of its employees after a three-month trial.

Basecamp, another tech company that works remotely, has offered its employees a four-day week over the summer for more than a decade. “We don’t get quite as much stuff done, but I think it’s still worth it,” Jason Fried, the company’s chief executive and co-founder, told me.

He added: “This obsession with getting as much done as you can is unhealthy.”

If Dom Jones wins the Orange County congressional seat Katie Porter is giving up— please help her do that here— she’ll be working with Takano and Lieu, unlike the 3 conservative men running against her. Last night Dom told me that she’s “deeply passionate about bringing positive change to our community. That's why I am a advocate for exploring a four-day workweek. It's essential to prioritize the well-being of families, students, business owners, and residents. I firmly believe that a shorter workweek could enhance productivity, promote work-life balance, boost morale, and reduce childcare expenses. Moreover, it would help lower healthcare premiums for employers, decrease operational costs for businesses, and make a positive impact on our environment. And let's not forget, this is not just a theoretical concept, but rather it has been successfully tested in pilot programs around the world. Congressman Mark Takano's proposed legislation in 2022, to reduce the standard workweek is a step in a positive direction. A four-day workweek has been proven to increase productivity and wages in many countries and businesses, and Orange County deserves to experience the same benefits. With a shorter workweek, families will have more time to bond, and students will have more time to focus on their studies and passions, leading to a brighter future for all. I am committed to making the lives of Orange County residents better. If a four-day work week enhances the quality of life for all, I feel it is something we should collaboratively take an in depth look at as a possibility in Orange County."