Who would have seen this coming? Legislation has consequences out in the Real World
(Washington Times) The owner of Olive Garden and Red Lobster restaurants is putting more workers on part-time status in a test aimed at limiting costs from President Obama’s health care law.
Darden Restaurants Inc. declined to give details but said the test is in just four markets across the country. The move entails boosting the number of workers on part-time status, meaning they will work fewer than 30 hours a week.
Under the new health care law, companies with 50 or more workers could be hit with fines if they do not provide basic coverage for full-time workers and their dependents. Starting Jan. 1, 2014, those penalties and requirements could significantly boost labor costs for some companies, particularly in low-wage industries such as retail and hospitality, where most jobs don’t come with health benefits.
Darden, which operates more than 2,000 restaurants in the United States and Canada, employs about 180,000 people. The company says about 75 percent of its employees are part-timers.
One might say that 25% is a small amount, but that still amounts to 45,000 full time workers, and by moving more and more to 30 hours or less the restaurant chains reduce their exposure to what is a burdensome law with tons of regulations, fines, and taxes, all of which will increase costs artificially. Other companies, such as McDonald’s, are looking at the same thing, namely, increasing the number of part timers and reducing the number of full time workers. Which means less money in the pockets of workers thanks to Obama and the Democrats and their absurd legislation which can affect the entire economy, not just the 1/6th health care industry.
And let’s not forget that it will drive up insurance premiums by around 30%.
And less one thinks that Darden Restaurants is some raving right wing group, the CEO and Chairman of the Board, Clarence Otis, Jr., has given $30,800 to DNC Services Corp, ie, the Democratic National Committee, as well as $2,500 each to Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Max Baucus, this election cycle. He also gave $2,500, it should be noted, to Mitch McConnell. And, while he did give $2,300 to John McCain during the 2008 cycle, he gave double that to Obama, and a raft of money to mostly Democrats, including $28,500 to the DNC in 2009.
Obamacare. One more Obama policy that is destroying full time employment in the country.
His anti fossil fuels/ pro renewable has destroyed jobs and is preventing thousands more. Destroying jobs including those in the green sector because he falsely propped them up to begin with.
How I wish people would wake TFU. He has NO job experience and NO business running a country let alone a lemonade stand.
Nice experiment letting this first black president without proper credentials, run the country, but now can we get an adult in the office?
serves em right.
bout time they started to feel the pain from their idiotic selfish decision.
Whoa…whoa…whoa…Darden Restaurants, Inc. is one of those lucky 1,000 companies that received a waiver from Obamacare for over 34,000 of their employees. So, now they’re going to restructure the hiring format for a good percentage of the others.
I smell a rat that was born out of this lunch meeting:
http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/obamas-lunch-buddys-company-given-obamacare-waiver_576776.html
Can’t blame a guy for tryin’.
I don’t blame any company from doing whatever it can to get out from under this burdensome taxation and regulations.
I think the waiver is also just good for a year. Heck, even some states have gotten waivers.
Always amusing to heqar the CAPITALISTS talk about how they feel for the “workers” Darden had revenues of over 7,500 MILLIONS Darden has done very well for the last 4 years under Obama. As have all the fortune 500 companies with record profits and a Dow that has doubled under him. If you guys were real capitalists interested in the preservation and accumulation of CAPITAL you would be loving Obama
Oh boy, liberals say the darndest things!
Yes, because Socialists and Socialism are so pro-corporate growth and pro-capitalism. Whereas Conservatives are for taxing everyone and every profit to increase government control over all aspects of life and economy.
Too True Trish.