Democratic lawmaker plans to move forward with four-day workweek legislation: ‘More time for rest’

A Pennsylvania lawmaker is moving forward with plans for a four-day workweek that would see businesses with more than 500 employees reduce their hours from 40 per week to 32 per week without reducing employee pay.

The legislation would exclude local and mid-size businesses from the requirement, according to an Aug. 15 memorandum released by State Rep. G. Roni Green.

Green, D-Pa., said a four-day workweek would “provide hardworking individuals with more time for rest, family obligations, and focus on both physical and mental health. Rested, happy and healthy workers in turn can better focus on work and accomplish more in a workday.”

Shot of a young woman looking stressed while using a laptop to work from home (iStock)

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“The Federal Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 established the standard 40-hour workweek. Today, most workers continue to work a standard 40-hour workweek, but society today looks and operates differently than it once did in 1938. Technological advancements alone have significantly increased the productivity of workers allowing more work to be accomplished in less time. Research has shown that companies may be able to adopt a four-day workweek without losing worker productivity,” the memorandum read in part. 

Fox News’ Charlie Hurt argued the bill is for people who don’t want to work. 

“This strikes me that this is not a bill for people who work. This is a bill for people who don’t work, don’t want to work… They’re lazy and they don’t want to get a job,” he said on “The Big Weekend Show.”

Forty-one companies tested the four-day week model in the United States and Canada over a six-month period, according to the not-for-profit 4 Day Week Global. 

The organization found that employees reported experiencing less stress and burnout after six months of a shortened schedule. The participating companies also reported “great satisfaction with business productivity, performance, and ability to attract employees.”

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Co-host Raymond Arroyo said the proposed legislation would put another burden on businesses because they have to pay people more for working less. 

“Look, in some industries this might work. I’ve read the studies where they go to four days, and it works in some industries. Fine. But the airline industry, the restaurant industry, any service industry. Are we only going to eat and fly four days a week? I don’t think so,” he explained. “So that means these corporations are paying out much more for less work. I don’t think it works.” 

A woman works at a desktop computer in a home office in Bern, Switzerland on Saturday, Aug. 22, 2020. (Stefan Wermuth/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Arroyo also highlighted an example from Minnesota where teachers were given four-day work weeks. 

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“Ninety-eight thousand students [were] impacted. These kids can’t read or write now. So you’re going to give them another less day of schooling and that’s going to help who? I don’t understand any of this,” he continued. “It’s for people who don’t want to work, and it’s government-mandated. That strikes me [as] wrong.” 

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Fox News’ Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report