Darden tests limiting worker hours as health-care changes loom
There’s been a lot of talk about what the effects will be of Obamacare as it slowly but surely rolls into effect. The recent trend of mainstream media outlets actually doing their job for a change has begun shedding light on the parts that not even Nancy Pelosi read.
One aspect is that as of 2014, employers will be required to provide medical benefits for employees who work over 30 hours a week. The story linked above highlights the possible direction that Darden (parent company of Red Lobster, Olive Garden, and others) will take if the law is allowed to take effect. Essentially, they will be adjusting the hours of their employees in such a way that those who didn’t get benefits before the law will still not get benefits after the law.
Now back in the early days of my career, one of my employers had a similar setup when it came to receiving benefits. Their rule said that for an employee to receive benefits, they needed to work at least 35 hours a week. There were many disgruntled coworkers who needed benefits, but couldn’t get them because they were consistently scheduled for less than 35 hours each week. They most likely did this to keep costs down, which is why Darden is considering doing the same sort of thing.
This may make you say “What a bunch of dicks!” or “Typical greedy business!” and if that’s the case, please press ALT-F4 and close out your browser because you’re beyond help. If you blame the business for this then you are a lemming, happily following Obama as he leads this country off the fiscal cliff into a utopian world of class warfare and ever increasing government control of private industry.
Complain all you want, but the undeniable truth here is that the decisions you see businesses make as a result of Obama and his policies are required for them to remain fiscally solvent. They’re just trying to survive this administration and this economy. Don’t let the tiny decrease in the unemployment rate fool you, it’s all smoke and mirrors. Businesses need money to hire workers, to provide benefits, and this money comes from people willing to pay for their products and services… Americans are still very hesitant to spend money on anything but the most basic essentials. Increased consumer spending is usually a good sign of growth, unless the only reason it has increased is because the price of gas has gone up. As a result of this administration’s policies, and the economy under the thumb of this administration – everyone is suffering. America is suffering.
A business isn’t going to add new jobs today, at least not full-time jobs that can make that unemployment rate turn around, when there is an ever increasing stack of regulations and taxes headed towards them that add new expenses. A business shouldn’t be required to provide benefits, all they should be required to do is provide you with a paycheck. Normally, if you want to make more money, or if you want health benefits, you find a new job that provides both! That’s not the mantra of the Obama crowd, they want you to go ahead and continue packing shelves at Walmart, or flipping burgers at McDonalds… Don’t you worry about your pay, or that you don’t get benefits – the Government shall provide (on the backs of future generations saddled with the debt).
Mark my words folks, if Obama gets re-elected and his healthcare plan goes into full effect you will see the Government crack down on businesses like Darden who are simply trying to survive his economic firing squad. They’ll do it to rousing applause from the useful idiots in the media and those poor saps who think that the largest problem with this country is business, not Government. They’ll punish these businesses with even greater regulations and more jobs will be lost as they simply try to survive.
4 more years to get the job done? Here’s a thought Barry, QUIT. I hear its real easy to get unemployment and food stamps these days.
