Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders has stated that he wants the American workforce to implement the 40-hour workweek again. According to the senator, recent trends in the work processes in the United States has resulted in a high number of people who are working longer hours while getting lower wages, reports The Huffington Post.
"A hundred years ago workers took to the streets to fight for 40 hours, and a hundred years have come and gone, we've seen an explosion in technology, we've seen an explosion in productivity, we have a great global economy, and what do you have? The vast majority of people are working longer hours for lower wages," Sanders said.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics states that the average full-time American worker works about 42.7 hours a week. If part-time workers are included, the average drops, but only down to 39 hours.
Sanders introduced a bill last week that would require employers to give at least 10 paid vacation days a year to employees who have been working at the company for a year. The senator is also a supporter of a proposed rule change that would expand the number of American workers who qualify for overtime pay, according to Yahoo! Finance.
"What our legislation says - and we think this is absolutely a family value - is that a mom and a dad should have the right to at least a couple of weeks off of paid vacation so they can spend quality time with their kids," he said.
The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, still the legislation in place, only protects workers who earn less than $23,660 per year. With the new legislation, workers who are earning $50,440 and below would still qualify for paid overtime.
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