Fast-Food Chains Cut Worker Hours, Blame Obamacare

[Deb]

Count Wendy’s (WEN) as the latest fast-food restaurant to respond to Obamacare with a reduction in worker hours. Following some other chains that have made headlines recently, a Wendy’s franchise owner in Omaha, Neb., told about 100 workers in the area that their hours would be cut in anticipation of mandates in the Affordable Care Act (ACA).



According to a local TV station, the store said that employees in non-management positions will have their hours reduced to 28 a week. A spokesman blamed the cuts on the new law that, beginning in 2014, will require employers to offer health coverage to employees who log at least 30 hours a week, or pay a penalty starting at $2,000 per worker. The Wendy’s spokesman said, as a small-business owner, he can't afford to stay in operation and pay for everyone's health insurance. Under the law, any company that has more than 50 full-time workers falls under the new health insurance mandate.

According to a report from an Oklahoma station on Monday, a Taco Bell (YUM) in Guthrie, Okla., adopted a similar policy.

And in October, Darden Restaurants (DRI), which owns Olive Garden and Red Lobster, said it has stopped offering full-time schedules to many hourly workers in at least a few of its restaurants in an “experiment aimed at keeping down the cost of health care reform.” Soon after the company said it would back off somewhat from its plan, presumably and at least in part because of the negative reaction following the announcement.

http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/the-e...224911846.html

[DupuisLesRapide]

We were pretty much told this sort of thing would happen, but the President just ignored it. People will lose their jobs, companies will hire less, taxes will increase, and healthcare will skyrocket...and we're told this is a good thing. Lol

[Reveryroadie]

companies would rather pay fines, and cut hours than treat employees fairly and offer them benefits. owners are inherently greedy.

[DupuisLesRapide]

Not really true. Small businesses employ more Americans than any other type of business. A lot of the owners of those places simply can't afford to do anything else but cut back.

Just look at this way, if you have 150 employees, and you're now faced with paying out $2000 more a year per employee, that's $30,000 dollars. If the company is already in a tough situation, the only thing they can do is lay people off to cover that new expense.

If the company is doing OK. Maybe they don't need to lay anyone off, but now, they're definitely not going to be able to hire anyone new.

Not saying there aren't some sleazy, greedy businesses out there, but most are simply doing what is necessary to keep their business afloat.

[Jerry]

Originally Posted by SpeedyMikeWallace

Not really true. Small businesses employ more Americans than any other type of business. A lot of the owners of those places simply can't afford to do anything else but cut back.

Not saying there aren't some sleazy, greedy businesses out there, but most are simply doing what is necessary to keep their business afloat.

Yet we're not hearing about small businesses cutting back healthcare and hours. We're only seeing the big corporations doing it.

I think that's what Jon is talking about.

[pooh555]

Originally Posted by Jerry

Yet we're not hearing about small businesses cutting back healthcare and hours. We're only seeing the big corporations doing it.

I think that's what Jon is talking about.

We're not hearing about Small Businesses doing it because they wouldn't turn up on Yahoo, they'd end up on some kind of small local news station, because when you're talking about business, no one would care if it were reported on some national coverage that a family owned pet food store in Albuquerque was cutting employee hours, but if it's a national chain like Wendy's then you'll take notice.

Throughout the whole election we heard both parties espousing how their plan was best for small business, and the only kinds of people we heard weigh in on that were people like the former CEO of Costco.

Has anybody actually bothered to ask a small business what they think about anything that's going on? Probably not, because small business aren't going to provide major votes to either candidate, or the kind of major funding that large corporations can.

[Jerry]

Originally Posted by pooh555

We're not hearing about Small Businesses doing it because they wouldn't turn up on Yahoo, they'd end up on some kind of small local news station, because when you're talking about business, no one would care if it were reported on some national coverage that a family owned pet food store in Albuquerque was cutting employee hours, but if it's a national chain like Wendy's then you'll take notice.

Throughout the whole election we heard both parties espousing how their plan was best for small business, and the only kinds of people we heard weigh in on that were people like the former CEO of Costco.

Has anybody actually bothered to ask a small business what they think about anything that's going on? Probably not, because small business aren't going to provide major votes to either candidate, or the kind of major funding that large corporations can.

Okay, I can see that point of view, but I don't just follow news from Yahoo. I read news sources from other places, including my local news and haven't heard of small businesses doing this.

Not to say that they aren't, but any small businesses here in Lansing that are talked to aren't saying that's what's going on.

[Jerry]

Don't get me wrong, as a small business owner myself, I KNOW that politicians from either party are not for me. They only cater to the lobbyists that are paid for by corporations.

I'm not defending either side. I'm condemning them all.