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Bill calls for shortening workweek to 32 hours in California

April 12, 2022

By JOSH FRIEDMAN

A bill in the California Legislature would shorten the workweek, as defined by state law, from 40 to 32 hours.

If adopted, AB 2932 would require companies with more than 500 employees to pay workers 1.5 times their regular rate for work in excess of 32 hours in a week. Failure to do so would constitute a misdemeanor.

There are more than 2,500 companies in California with more than 500 employees, according to Employment Development Department data. The overtime pay rule would not apply to businesses with 500 or fewer workers.

While the bill would change the definition of a workweek, a full workday would remain eight hours. Companies with more than 500 employees would still need to pay workers 1.5 times their regular rate for work done in excess of eight hours in a single day.

Democratic Assembly Members Evan Low and Christina Garcia co-authored AB 2932, which was introduced in February.

Garcia told the LA Times on Friday, the bill was inspired, in part, by an exodus of employees during the COVID-19 pandemic, many of whom were seeking a better quality of life.

“We’ve had a five-day workweek since the Industrial Revolution,” Garcia said. “But, we’ve had a lot of progress in society, and we’ve had a lot of advancements. I think the pandemic right now allows us the opportunity to rethink things, to reimagine things.”


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Change it to 4 ten hour days and I am in. It would be good for the economy too. You tend to spend more money on the days you are not working from my experience.


-62

The great majority of households are already in debt, have almost nothing saved, and currently live beyond their means…so spending more money on another day off will be a good thing?


-1

Many SLO city employees already have this. It’s the nine-eighty rule, work ten-hour days for four days, eight hours a day for the next for five days. They make six figures and with holidays, they can plan their schedules to have a three-day weekend about three out of every four weeks! We can see how this encourages efficiency, a high level of service, and sense of duty to residents – NOT!


3

You mean I can work less and earn less? Brilliant. Everyone is screaming about the cost of living and how expensive it is so the solution is to work less? I’m very confused. I find the more I work the more money I have and I don’t need the government to help me.


17

No, the companies would be required to pay you the same amount for 32 hours as you now get for 40. 8 hours less production per week per employee won’t effect inflation will it?


5

The moronic bill’s sponsors have never run a business you can tell by the way they give away other peoples money.


27

Just a hunch, but is this another teachers union push to get a 4 day school week?


18

32 hours is considered full time federally, yet most businesses force people to work 40 to get benefits because they have less than 500 and are greedy small business owners, who always complain, because they have a glamorous lifestyle off people making peanuts while they sit on their butt doing nothing, usually spoiled Baby Boomers who had everything given to them and don’t know honest work, at all, lazy. Most first world countries that are more successful than America adhere to a 4 day work week. I see a bunch of greedy comments here. Pay higher wages, work people to death less, to compete with the Rich who ride the backs of the poor yet claim they create job. Reagonomic trickle down BS. So what if they leave, better off without sinful greedy deviant folks; without them here. This bill is striving for for ethics, God and soul Vs the devil and dollar. Sorry to the satanic sinners here.


-45

According to your rant, if 32 hours is good, then zero hours would be nirvana! Imagine, not working at all for those “greedy” boomers, yet being paid a full salary! Look how much can be accomplished, with nobody doing anything!


A farmer can pay his migrant workers less than minimum wage, so no produce would ever reach the market! Just think how many dollars we will save, because we can’t buy anything!


8

Exactly how many people do you employ?


1

Oh, “come on man”


0

From a state who has UBI – Universal basic income and open borders, what could go wrong.

Democrats are the courage of society, welfare from birth to the grave.


10

There is a cosmic difference between scourge and courage. CCN comments need an easy edit feature after posting.


-2

I had an employer many moons ago who attended a business owners convention .When he returned from the convention the employees scheduling was completely overhauled to save the employer money .I ended up losing 750.00 a month in pay and I was at work more hours than before .My co-workers just took it in stride ..I didn’t need the job as I owned my own business for many moons long before I had this job and I ran my business at night while employed at several jobs over the years …So I left that job 10 years ago, there is about 7 of my old co-workers still employed there …I have no idea why they would continue to work more hours for less pay …jobs are dime a dozen


8

This bill, if passed, will chase out any remaining businesses that do not have to be located here. They will flee to any other state.


56

With that logic, this bill will create job opportunities in the flyover states (employer exodus) — while bringing more laborers into California (worker influx).


Considering every local business today has a “hiring” sign posted (labor shortage), that sounds like a win-win.


-19

Does this apply to government workers? If it does, we’ll at least be getting one more day’s work from them in a week.


31

Problem with that is,that extra 8 hours would be time and a half,taxes go up.


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