BRAZIL · LABOUR
Key Facts
- —What is happening New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani congratulated Brazil on Wednesday, 21 October, for ending the six-day work week, calling its new 40-hour week with two days off a “historic step”.
- —Why it matters The praise from the mayor of America’s largest city ties a Brazilian labour law to the US debate over work hours and time off, and follows his meeting with President Lula on 21 September.
- —The numbers Constitutional Amendment 141, promulgated on Friday, 16 October, cuts the weekly limit from 44 to 42 hours on 16 December 2026 and to 40 hours on 16 December 2027, with two paid rest days.
- —Who is who Mamdani has been mayor of New York City since 1 January 2026. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, of the Workers’ Party, is Brazil’s president, and Congress promulgated the amendment without needing his signature.
- —What to watch The first stage starts on Wednesday, 16 December 2026, and a complementary law may still set temporary measures for micro-entrepreneurs and small firms that keep their staff.
- —Power Index Brazil ranks 1st of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 75.0 points (October 2026 edition).
- —What it means for you For US readers with Brazilian staff, suppliers or investments, working-hour limits change from December, and existing contracts are covered with no cut in nominal pay.
Prediction markets · who wins the runoff
Implied chance of winning Brazil’s presidency on 25 October, from traders’ prices.
Polymarket
Flávio Bolsonaro 78.8% · Lula 21.5% (US$191 million traded)
Kalshi (regulated in the US by the CFTC)
Flávio Bolsonaro 78% · Lula 22%
As of 22 October, 2:20 am ET (07:20 Lisbon), updated every 20 minutes. Prices are bets, not polls, and can move fast.
Why we show this: prediction markets turn real-money bets into a live probability that moves within minutes of the news, which is why investors, campaigns and newsrooms in the United States now follow them closely. We show them next to polls and official results, never instead of them.
The mayor of New York has praised the Brazil 40-hour week as a historic step for workers. The change was promulgated by Brazil’s Congress on 16 October.
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Wednesday, 21 October, praised the Brazil 40-hour week as a “historic step” for workers. Brazilian outlets g1 and Metrópoles reported his social media post the same day.
Brazil Election Data Room
Runoff poll average: Flávio Bolsonaro 51.1%, Lula 48.9%
33 national polls from 19 pollsters since 4 October, updated hourly. Every poll, free to download.
Brazil’s Congress promulgated the change on Friday, 16 October, as Constitutional Amendment 141. It matters to US readers because the mayor of America’s largest city tied it to the American five-day week.
What Mamdani Said About Brazil
Mamdani wrote that a month earlier he had sat down with Lula to discuss how government serves poor and working people. He said Brazil then took a historic step.
He listed a 40-hour week, at least two days off and no pay cuts for more than 30 million workers. The 30 million figure is his own, and g1 gives a different estimate of 14.8 million Brazilian workers.
He added that workers fought for decades to win the five-day work week in America. Brazilian workers, he said, fought for this victory too.
He congratulated them and wrote that working people deserve time to live, not just work. He ended by promising to keep fighting for it.
Mamdani and Lula met on Monday, 21 September, at the New York home of Brazil’s ambassador to the United Nations, g1 reported. Lula gave him a Corinthians football shirt, and Metrópoles says he received a New York City shirt in return.
At that meeting Mamdani said one in four New Yorkers lives in poverty, g1 reported. He called Lula a “source of inspiration”.
What Brazil Changed
Congress promulgated Constitutional Amendment 141 on Friday, 16 October, in a solemn session of the Senate, Rádio Itatiaia reported. A constitutional amendment needs no presidential signature, so Lula did not have to sign it.
The Senate approved the text on Wednesday, 14 October, by 75 votes to 1 in both rounds, Correio da Manhã reported. The lower house, the Chamber of Deputies, had passed it in May.
Two months after publication, the weekly limit falls from 44 to 42 hours. Workers also get two paid rest days, one preferably a Sunday, and a year later the limit falls to 40.
Itatiaia and Correio da Manhã give the dates as 16 December 2026 and 16 December 2027. The text of the amendment sets the two-month and one-year steps.
The amendment applies to employment contracts already in force, and no cut in nominal pay is allowed, the text says. Collective agreements may still set compensation arrangements, within the rest-day limits.
A complementary law may set temporary measures for micro-entrepreneurs and small firms, if they keep their staff, the text says. Some activities may keep different schedules under rules set by law.
The old limit of 44 hours dates from the 1988 Constitution, which cut it from 48 hours, Itatiaia noted. Brazil’s system gives six days of work and one of rest as the common schedule, known as 6×1.
Itatiaia reports the measure is a flagship of President Lula’s re-election campaign before the runoff on Sunday, 25 October. Rival Flávio Bolsonaro, who had criticised it, voted in favour, the outlet says.
How the US Standard Compares
The US Fair Labor Standards Act requires overtime pay for covered employees who work more than 40 hours in a week. The rate is at least one and a half times regular pay.
Brazil’s change differs because it lowers the legal weekly limit itself and adds a second paid rest day. Metrópoles noted that the US has no federal law like Brazil’s labour code, with 40 hours over five days the usual standard.
What It Means for US Readers
Companies with staff in Brazil, including US subsidiaries, must adapt schedules from 16 December 2026. The amendment covers contracts already in force, and nominal pay cannot fall.
US investors in Brazilian employers should watch how firms absorb fewer working hours without pay cuts. The sources give no cost estimate, so none is offered here.
For US readers following Mamdani, the post shows a New York mayor engaging with a foreign labour reform. It announces no New York policy.
Background is in earlier reports on the amendment’s promulgation, the Lula and Mamdani meeting and the campaign debate over the five-day week. The Brazil hub, the Lula government tracker and the São Paulo city page add context.
What Is Not Known
Mamdani cites more than 30 million workers and g1 cites 14.8 million, so the number who gain is not known. The amendment text gives no number, and the sources give no estimate of the cost to employers.
Mamdani’s post was not opened on the social network; its text comes from Metrópoles and g1. No response from Lula or the Brazilian government to the post was found by Thursday, 22 October.
The sources do not say when a complementary law for small firms might come, or what it would contain. Nor do they say whether the post will lead to any New York policy.
What Comes Next
The 42-hour limit and two paid rest days start on Wednesday, 16 December 2026. The 40-hour limit follows on Thursday, 16 December 2027.
Mamdani’s post is a statement of support, not a policy or an agreement between New York and Brazil. Any complementary law for small firms would come from Brazil’s Congress.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Zohran Mamdani?
Mamdani has been mayor of New York City since 1 January 2026, the mayor’s office says. He met Brazil’s President Lula in New York on 21 September.
What did Mamdani say about Brazil?
He congratulated Brazil and its workers on a 40-hour week with at least two days off and no pay cuts. He called it a historic step on 21 October.
What is Brazil’s new work week?
Constitutional Amendment 141 ends the common six-day schedule and guarantees two paid rest days a week. The weekly limit falls from 44 to 42 hours, then to 40 hours.
When do the new rules start?
The first stage starts on 16 December 2026 with a 42-hour limit. The 40-hour limit starts on 16 December 2027.
Does the US have a 40-hour work week law?
The Fair Labor Standards Act requires overtime pay above 40 hours a week for covered workers. Metrópoles notes that the US has no federal law like Brazil’s labour code.
Sources: Presidency of Brazil, Constitutional Amendment 141, 16 October; Metrópoles, 21 and 22 October; g1, 21 October; Rádio Itatiaia, 16 October; Correio da Manhã, 16 October; Office of the Mayor of New York City; US Code, Title 29, section 207 (all accessed 22 October 2026).