SoylentNews

upstart writes:

California eyes four-day workweek for larger firms:

A four-day workweek could be mandated for some California employees should a proposed bill be passed by the state's legislature.

The bill, introduced by two Assembly members, Cristina Garcia (D-Dist.58) and Evan Low (D-Dist. 28), would amend existing legislation in the state and reduce the typical workweek from 40 hours to 32 hours.

Work in excess of 32 hours would be paid at a rate of at least one-and-a-half regular pay, and, most significantly, the Assembly Bill 2932 would require employers to pay employees the same amount for 32 hours as they would for 40. This would enable staff to work the equivalent of four eight-hour days, rather than five.

The change would apply to businesses with more than 500 workers, with certain exemptions, including having a collective bargaining agreement with a union.

Similar rules have been proposed at the federal level by US Rep. Mark Takano, (D-CA.), who last year proposed legislation that would also shorten the workweek from 40 to 32 hours.

"After two years of being in the pandemic, we've had over 47 million employees leave their job looking for better opportunities," Garcia said in an interview with CBS News. "They're sending a clear message they want a better work-life balance — they want better emotional and mental health, and this is part of that discussion."

The California Chamber of Commerce opposes the new measure on the grounds that it imposes "a tremendous cost on employers and includes provisions that are impossible to comply with," exposing businesses to litigation under the Private Attorneys General Act. The bill would also "discourage job growth in the state and likely reduce opportunities for workers," said Ashley Hoffman, policy advocate at the California Chamber of Commerce, in a letter to Low.

Original Submission