Democrats and Socialists in Congress renew push for 32-hour workweek; Alaska State workers already work 37.5 hours

THE ALASKA STORY

Oct. 14, 2026 — Congressional Democrats are renewing an effort to lower the federal overtime threshold to 32 hours a week while also blocking any reductions in compensation and benefits.

The proposal would go further than Alaska’s existing arrangement for many state employees, whose regular full-time schedule is already 37.5 hours a week, as established around statehood some 67 years ago.

Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif., introduced the Thirty-Two Hour Workweek Act, H.R. 10323, on Sept. 8.

Socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders announced a parallel effort in the Senate, contending that advances in technology, automation, and artificial intelligence should translate into shorter workweeks for employees.

The legislation would amend the Fair Labor Standards Act to require time-and-a-half pay for covered employees working more than 32 hours a week. Its phase-in language sets weekly thresholds of 38 hours, then 36, then 34, before reaching 32, with the first period beginning no earlier than 180 days after enactment.

It also proposes daily overtime: time-and-a-half after eight hours and double time after 12 hours. A compensation provision would prohibit reductions in affected employees’ weekly compensation rates or benefits because they become covered by the amendments.

Employers could still schedule longer weeks, but the proposal would change the time that overtime becomes payable rather than impose a universal four-day schedule.

Alaska already has a shorter schedule for many state employees

The Alaska Department of Administration’s employee-orientation materials list regular full-time schedules of either 37.5 or 40 hours. Supervisory employees and those in the Labor, Trades and Crafts bargaining unit are generally scheduled for 40 hours. Current state salary schedules likewise include separate tables for 37.5-hour and 40-hour workweeks.

For an employee currently working 37.5 hours, a 32-hour schedule would represent another reduction of 5.5 hours a week, or nearly 15%.

Alaska also already requires daily overtime for many employees covered by its wage-and-hour law. The state’s general standard calls for time-and-a-half after eight hours a day or 40 hours a week, subject to exemptions. The federal proposal would lower the weekly threshold further and add double-time pay after 12 hours.

A priority for the socialist left and organized labor

A 32-hour workweek with no loss of pay or benefits is an explicit priority of the Democratic Socialists of America.

The organization’s “Workers Deserve More” program calls for “a 32 hour work week with full pay and benefits,” alongside paid family leave and a higher minimum wage. That position overlaps with the objectives advanced by Takano and Sanders.

The House bill’s original cosponsors include Democratic Reps. Pramila Jayapal, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, J. Luis Correa, and Delia Ramirez.

Takano’s office also lists endorsements from major labor organizations, including the AFL-CIO, Service Employees International Union, United Auto Workers, and National Nurses United.

Sanders argues that technological gains should benefit employees through additional time away from work without sacrificing income. “A 32-hour workweek is not a radical idea,” he said in announcing the renewed effort.

For Alaska employers, a central practical question would be how to maintain staffing and service hours. Where the same amount of employee coverage remains necessary, a lower overtime threshold could mean additional overtime expenses, more hiring, or changes in scheduling.

H.R. 10323 remains an introduced proposal referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce. It has not moved, but is likely to move if the House and Senate are flipped to Democrat control in November.