They were prepared to do it. It was set to go into effect and was going to it if wasn’t for the emergency stay order.
Remember, there's a history of just this kind of stunt with these particular actors. So, personally, I'm very wary of taking their statements at face value!
And yet, here we are, years later, with the 40 hour work week and companies somehow successfully surviving.
But we did ensure that workers at the low end aren't allowed the same flexibility as the higher paid employees, along with a nice demeaning time clock to punch every day.