Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) advocated for legislation he introduced Wednesday that would establish a 32-hour workweek in the United States in a Senate HELP subcommittee hearing on the topic Thursday, arguing that while American workers have become increasingly productive, the fruits of their labor are being enjoyed only by the wealthiest people.
“American workers are now over 400% more productive than they were in the 1940s. Extraordinary! Technology has made working people far more productive,” Sanders said in his opening remarks.
“And what has been the result of all of that productivity increase for working people?” the independent from Vermont continued. “Almost all of the economic gains of that technological transformation have gone straight to the top, while wages for workers have remained stagnant or even worse.”
“While CEOs today are making 350 times as much as their average employees, workers throughout the country are seeing their family life fall apart as they are forced to spend more and more time at work,” the senator added.
