Bernie Sanders says if AI is coming for workers, it should bring a four-day workweek with it

Bernie Sanders has proposed a new law that would significantly reduce the standard workweek from 40 to 32 hours for nonexempt employees. The Thirty-Two Hour Workweek Act, reintroduced by Sanders and California Rep. Mark Takano, aims to ensure that the financial benefits of artificial intelligence and robotics are shared with working families rather than just a select few billionaires and corporate CEOs.

Starting six months after enactment, the bill would gradually lower the overtime threshold for covered workers until it reaches 32 hours within four years of becoming law. Employers would need to pay overtime for the extra hours worked and cannot reduce employees' weekly compensation or benefits due to this change. The bill also proposes overtime after eight hours in one day and double pay after 12 hours.

This proposal comes as companies race to implement generative AI to produce more work with fewer employees. Studies suggest that AI-led productivity gains could allow 35 million U.S. workers to move to a 32-hour week within a decade. Sanders has previously advocated for shorter work hours, citing the need to address the stress levels in the country.