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.
This would be a huge upset for the nuclear industry. 12s are the standard during outages, and while we get overtime, it’s all predicated on overtime starting at 40. 40 regular + 32 overtime doesn’t just flip. You’d be in overtime before the third day is even over, and you’d still already have 8 hours of overtime at that point. If I’m figuring it right, it’s 24 regular and 48 overtime, just because we go over 8 every day. I don’t see this being applied to the industry during outages, or outage workers just get reduced hours, and fuck that.
Edit: let me clarify that I don’t have a problem with this bill. I just don’t want a paycut.
There are 40,134 people employed in the Nuclear Power industry in the US as of 2023.
In February 2024, the U.S. civilian labor force was ~167,430,000 people.
Yeah, let’s scrap the whole thing for 00.024%
I also feel VERY safe knowing that our nuclear plants are staffed by people working 12+ hour shifts, there’s no way anyone is tired or would make mistakes towards the end of those shifts at all. Gotta keep that status quo of keeping our nuclear workers from being able to see their families… or just hire a 3rd shift and cut the bullshit.
Doesn’t matter though. This will NEVER happen in the US. We’re allergic to worker’s rights. Far more likely that overtime will be scrapped and FLSA will be gutted.
I never said scrap it. I actually support it. I just don’t want to be paid less and I’m mostly wondering aloud about potential effects on my industry.
You should feel safe since this is the safest work environment I’ve ever been in with the highest quality of work I’ve ever had the pleasure of being around. Everyone wants to be here and takes it very seriously. If someone obviously doesn’t want to be in this field or doesn’t take it seriously, then it’s extremely easy to get rid of them.
Huh? You’d get more money 8 more hours a week allocated to OT.
Anyway laws like this elsewhere like Germany and France have excemptions for certain sectors like medical, nuclear, law enforcement etc.