H.R. 10323: Thirty-Two Hour Workweek Act

This bill would change federal wage-and-hour law to make the standard full-time workweek 32 hours instead of 40 for employees covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act.

What changes for work hours and overtime

• Employers could not require covered employees to work more than 32 hours in a week unless they pay overtime.
• Overtime would still be required at at least 1.5 times the regular pay rate for hours worked beyond the new threshold.
• The bill also adds daily limits:
  • More than 8 hours in a day up to 12 hours would require overtime pay.
  • More than 12 hours in a day would require double time pay.

Gradual phase-in

The bill would not immediately drop the overtime threshold to 32 hours. Instead, it would phase in over several years:

• Year 1: overtime would start after 38 hours per week
• Year 2: overtime would start after 36 hours per week
• Year 3: overtime would start after 34 hours per week
• After Year 3: overtime would start after 32 hours per week

The phase-in begins not less than 180 days after enactment.

Pay and benefits protections

For employees who become newly covered because of the lower weekly threshold, the bill says employers may not reduce the employee’s total workweek compensation rate, regular hourly rate, or other benefits just because the law changed.

Other legal changes

The bill makes related technical changes to the Fair Labor Standards Act so that the new 32-hour rule is reflected in the statute and so that state laws can still provide greater worker protections where applicable.

Relevant Companies

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