this post was submitted on 15 Mar 2024
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Economics

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Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Wednesday introduced a bill to establish a standard four-day workweek in the United States without any reduction in pay.

The bill, over a four-year period, would lower the threshold required for overtime pay, from 40 hours to 32 hours. It would require overtime pay at a rate of 1.5 times a worker’s regular salary for workdays longer than 8 hours, and it would require overtime pay at double a worker’s regular salary for workdays longer than 12 hours.

The Thirty-Two Hour Workweek Act would also protect workers’ pay and benefits to ensure there’s no loss in pay, according to a press release.

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[–] xpinchx@lemmy.world 11 points 8 months ago (3 children)

Are exempt employees still boned?

[–] Kit@lemmy.blahaj.zone 13 points 8 months ago (2 children)

I would assume that salaried office workers would eventually go down to 4 days as the culture of Full-time changes. That or they'd just leave for hourly positions, causing competition.

[–] BeardedBlaze@lemmy.world 5 points 8 months ago (2 children)

Salaried employees aren't the only ones that can be exempt.

[–] Sc00ter@lemm.ee 4 points 8 months ago (1 children)

I'm salaried, and collect OT. I have to log all my hours to specific contracts so we charge other groups appropriately, so we get 1.0x OT pay

[–] xpinchx@lemmy.world 1 points 8 months ago

Not that uncommon to be non-exempt salary. Our warehouse people are salaried but if they work over 40 get 1.5x

[–] Kit@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 8 months ago

True, certain positions are still exempt even if they're hourly. In my state I think it's managers, medical workers, and IT workers plus more.

But yet, fulltime used to be 6 days a week until we changed the definition to 5 and now that's the standard. Changing the standard is exactly what this likely will accomplish.

[–] just_change_it@lemmy.world 1 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

There's an FLSA overtime exemption for making over $107,432/year. That's the threshold for no more overtime. https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/fact-sheets/17h-overtime-highly-compensated

In Boston that wage is on the low side of office worker pay over 30yo.

[–] just_change_it@lemmy.world 2 points 8 months ago

Yes, the bill is just an amendment for FLSA that changes hourly workers thresholds. It does not remove exemptions in any way. https://www.sanders.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/WIL241041.pdf