Obamacare ‘Makes It Harder To Hire’

Controversial Law Is A ‘Top Worry For Small Business,’ Thousands Of Workers Face Reduced Hours

Obamacare ‘The Top Worry For Small Business Owners’

Small Business Survey: “…the 2010 health care bill … the top worry for small business owners.” (“U.S. Chamber of Commerce Q2 2013 Small Business Survey,” U.S. Chamber Of Commerce, 7/16/13)

• “71% of small businesses say the health care law makes it harder to hire.” (“U.S. Chamber of Commerce Q2 2013 Small Business Survey,” U.S. Chamber Of Commerce, 7/13)
• “…one-half of small businesses say that they will either cut hours to reduce full time employees OR replace full time employees with part-time workers to avoid the mandate.” (“U.S. Chamber of Commerce Q2 2013 Small Business Survey,” U.S. Chamber Of Commerce, 7/13)

Gallup: ‘41% of small-business owners say they have held off on hiring new employees’ “When asked if they had taken any of five specific actions in response to the ACA, 41% of small-business owners say they have held off on hiring new employees and 38% have pulled back on plans to grow their business.” (“Half of U.S. Small Businesses Think Health Law Bad for Them,” Gallup, 5/10/13)

• “One in five (19%) have reduced their number of employees and essentially the same number (18%) have cut employee hours in response to the health care law.” (“Half of U.S. Small Businesses Think Health Law Bad for Them,” Gallup, 5/10/13)

‘Under Obamacare, The 30-Hour Workweek May Take A Cue From The Clumsy Dodo Bird And Disappear’

“Under ObamaCare, the 30-hour workweek may take a cue from the clumsy Dodo bird and disappear… Retailers have been cutting hours for nonsupervisory workers at the sharpest rate in more than three decades, Labor Department data show.” (“Obamacare's $96 An Hour Cost Spike May End 30-Hour Workweek,” Investor’s Business Daily, 6/3/13)

“The area's two premiere public colleges are among a growing number cutting the hours of adjunct faculty members to keep them from qualifying for coverage under the Affordable Care Act… Hillsborough Community College and St. Petersburg College officials say there's nothing insidious about the strategy - that instead, it's an economic necessity in an environment where elevating their largely part-time faculties to health-benefit status could cost millions of dollars they don't have.” (“St. Pete College, HCC Cut Adjuncts' Hours Over Health Care,” The Tampa Tribune, 7/16/13)

“At Hillsborough Community College, there are 272 full-time faculty and 1,490 part-timers. … previous reviews suggest about 110 would be affected - including nonfaculty employees.”(“St. Pete College, HCC Cut Adjuncts' Hours Over Health Care,” The Tampa Tribune, 7/16/13)

• “At St. Petersburg College, there are 325 full-time faculty and 1,406 part-timers. The college has identified 91 adjunct faculty and other employees who have been working more than 30 hours a week.” (“St. Pete College, HCC Cut Adjuncts' Hours Over Health Care,” The Tampa Tribune, 7/16/13)

“An IBD search of employer announcements revealed workweek cuts for 16,500 workers as ObamaCare penalties drew closer. … Here are the 42 announcements.” (“16,500 Working Fewer Hours Due To Obamacare Mandate,” Investor’s Business Daily, 7/3/13)

“About 400 workers from Orlando-based Earl Enterprises, primarily in its Buca di Beppo restaurant chain, have had their hours cut to less than 30 a week across the country, founder Robert Earl acknowledged Monday. The company is the first in Central Florida to reveal it is reducing some workers' hours to under 30 a week -- the threshold at which employers will have to provide health insurance under ‘Obamacare.’” (“Workers' Hours Cut -- 'Obamacare' Blamed,” Orlando Sentinel, 7/8/13)

“Take the decision by Regal Entertainment Group to cut nonsalaried workers' hours to below 30 per week at its 500-plus theaters. The move will certainly affect thousands of people…” (“16,500 Working Fewer Hours Due To Obamacare Mandate,” Investor’s Business Daily, 7/3/13)

“Rod Carstensen, owner of 11 Del Taco restaurants around Denver, began in April converting his mostly full-time workforce into one comprising mostly part-time help to minimize his health-care costs. He estimates the costs could have climbed by as much as $400,000 a year without the change. Mr. Carstensen had 180 full-time and 40 part-time workers and is in the process of switching to 80 full-time and 320 part-time workers who clock no more than 28 hours per week. He is plowing ahead despite the Obama administration's reprieve, he said, because ‘we need to get there anyway, and it will take until January 1, 2015, to make this transition.’” (“Restaurant Shift: Sorry, Just Part-Time,” The Wall Street Journal, 7/14/13)

“Ken Adams has been turning to more part-time workers at his 10 Subway sandwich shops in Michigan to avoid possibly incurring higher health-care costs under the new federal insurance law. He added approximately 25 part-time workers in May and June as he reduced some employees' hours and replaced other workers who left. …’Does the delay change anything for us? Absolutely not,’ Mr. Adams of Subway said, explaining that whether his health-care costs go up next year or in 2015, he will have to comply with the law. ‘We won't start hiring full-time people.’” (“Restaurant Shift: Sorry, Just Part-Time,” The Wall Street Journal, 7/14/13)

“Ernie Canadeo, president of EGC Group, a Long Island, N.Y., advertising and marketing firm with 46 employees, says he has no plans to add workers. …if sales growth is moderate, he likely would try to stay below 50, knowing the insurance requirement will kick in in 2015.” (“Businesses May Hire More After Delay Of Health Law,” USA Today, 7/9/13)

“CKE Restaurants Inc., owner of the Carl's Jr. and Hardee's hamburger chains, last year began hiring part-time workers to replace full-time employees who left and as a result has boosted its overall workforce, though the company declined to specify how much. ‘Since passage of the ACA, we've increased the number of our part-time employees, although we haven't fired people to do so,’ said CKE Chief Executive Andy Puzder.” (“Restaurant Shift: Sorry, Just Part-Time,” The Wall Street Journal, 7/14/13)

“…Wolfe’s Auto Auction in Terre Haute says it is cutting work hours of several of its employees because of the insurance mandates of the federal Affordable Care Act. Ten full-time employees will be reduced to part-time status, while part-timers will work no more than 25 to 28 hours per week, said Dan Wolfe, one of the owners of the family-owned business. The reason cited? The Affordable Care Act...” (“Affordable Care Act Insurance Mandates Leading Some Businesses To Cut Employees’ Work Hours,” The Tribune-Star, 6/25/13)

‘Aides claim district reduced hours due to Obamacare’ “Even though the Affordable Care Act has provisions that will permit employees who work at least 30 hours per week to be eligible for employee health insurance starting next year, some local employees will not be able to reap the rewards. Two instructional aides attended the June 11 Pompton Lakes Board of Education meeting to express their displeasure when they learned the school board modified the hours they worked on record.” (“Aides Claim District Reduced Hours Due To Obamacare,” Argus [Cumberland, NJ], 7/10/13)

Dems: ‘Obamacare Has Been Wonderful For America’

Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV): “Obamacare has been wonderful for America.” (NBC’s “Meet The Press,” 7/14/13)

Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA): “The implementation of this is fabulous.” (“Dems To Kathleen Sebelius: Seniors Confused On Obamacare,” Politico, 6/27/13)

President Obama: ‘This is working the way it's supposed to.’ “Now, a lot of the opponents of the Affordable Care Act, they had all kinds of sky-is-falling, doom-and-gloom predictions… I think it's important for us to recognize and acknowledge this is working the way it's supposed to.” (President Obama, Statement, 6/7/13)

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