Sanders: "If AI is coming for workers, it should bring a 4-day workweek with it"
Bernie Sanders and Mark Takano have reintroduced the Thirty-Two Hour Workweek Act to lower the standard workweek for nonexempt employees from 40 to 32 hours. The legislation aims to ensure that productivity gains from artificial intelligence and robotics benefit working families rather than solely increasing corporate profits. The bill proposes a gradual implementation over four years, including new daily overtime thresholds, to modernize labor standards that have not changed significantly since the 1930s.
- ▪The Thirty-Two Hour Workweek Act would gradually reduce the standard workweek for nonexempt employees to 32 hours over a four-year period.
- ▪The bill establishes overtime pay after eight hours in a single day and double pay after twelve hours, which are not currently required by federal law.
- ▪Proponents argue that AI-driven productivity increases could allow 35 million U.S. workers to transition to shorter workweeks within the next decade.
- ▪Since 1979, net productivity in the U.S. has risen by approximately 90%, while typical hourly wages have increased by only about 33%.
- ▪Studies indicate that reducing work hours by five hours per week can lead to improved worker health, job satisfaction, and reduced burnout without harming performance.
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| Original publisher | Fortune |
| Canonical URL | https://fortune.com/2026/09/15/bernie-sanders-ai-four-day-workweek-bill/ |
| Publication time | Wed, 16 Sep 2026 07:13:41 +0000 |
| Retrieval time | 2026-09-16T07:28:41.353Z |
| Last seen | 2026-09-16T07:28:41.353Z |
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Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
Eugene V. Debs never lived to see ChatGPT, but the socialist labor leader who fought for shorter working hours would probably recognize Bernie Sanders’ latest pitch: If AI is coming for workers anyway, it should help them spend less of their lives at work, not just make billionaires richer.Recommended Video Last week, Sanders and California Rep. Mark Takano reintroduced the Thirty-Two Hour Workweek Act, which would lower the standard workweek for nonexempt employees from 40 to 32 hours, thereby pushing employers to shorten schedules or pay overtime for the difference. Sanders, who has advocated for responsible AI use and, more recently, pushed for a pause on AI development, has pointed to the positive benefits he sees stemming from the technology: an ease on American labor.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Fortune.
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