How many employers are limiting wage employees to 29 hours so they don't have to give health care?

[2Design]

Just got notice from State where they are asking to limit all wage employees to 29 hours starting Feb 1 in preparation for the Affordable Care Act - called Obamacare

Colleagues:

As a result of the changes that are coming about with implementation of the federal Affordable Care Act (frequently referred to in media reporting as “Obamacare”), legislation is before the XXXXX General Assembly that will limit wage employees to working no more than 29 hours per week on average per month. The xxxx Department of Human Resource Management has advised all state agencies that it would be prudent to implement the proposed change now. In view of this recommendation, effective with the wage pay period that begins February 1, 2013, XXX will implement the 29 hours per week limit for wage employees.

No I am not revealing the State but its governor is GOP

[xoom]

1. I have some friends in MI who are complaining about this..

Really sucks.

[Massacure]

2. A fascinating concept

No mandatory healthcare, no potential for overtime, but the first 30 hour standardized workweek.

[Bay Boy]

4. That's not an upside...

...that's a pay cut.

[Massacure]

8. In the short term, you are right.

The economy would eventually adjust though. The disparity in income between rich and poor is far more important than an arbitrary dollar amount earned in any given year.


As food for thought, ask yourself how/if this would be any different than the 40 hour standard that was introduced with the New Deal in 1937.

[Warpy]

3. They're cutting their own throats, really

because instead of a core of full time, stable employees they're tying themselves to high turnover and high trainee expenses as people leave as soon as they can find work with benefits and new trainees need to be hired.

Not only that, but the work still needs to be done. They're choosing to do it with more people they treat like shit instead of fewer people they treat well. That's going to increase bookkeeping costs as well as encourage things like absenteeism.

The whole thing will make a few bean counters look good short term. As a long term business model, it isn't going to work. Expenses will far outweigh any payments they would have made toward employee health insurance.

However, business schools have always seen labor costs as a liability, completely forgetting that the companies would have nothing to sell without labor. I suppose most companies will treat their employees poorly.

[antigop]

5. Article on the WSJ website says community colleges are limiting adjunct prof hours

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323635504578213502177768898.html

The federal health-care overhaul is prompting some colleges and universities to cut the hours of adjunct professors, renewing a debate about the pay and benefits of these freelance instructors who handle a significant share of teaching at U.S. higher-education institutions.

The Affordable Care Act requires large employers to offer a minimum level of health insurance to employees who work 30 hours a week or more starting in 2014, or face a penalty. The mandate is a particular challenge for colleges and universities, which increasingly rely on adjuncts to help keep costs down as states have scaled back funding for higher education.

A handful of schools, including Community College of Allegheny County in Pennsylvania and Youngstown State University in Ohio, have curbed the number of classes that adjuncts can teach in the current spring semester to limit the schools' exposure to the health-insurance requirement. Others are assessing whether to do so, or to begin offering health care to some adjuncts.

[2Design]

6. Yes they are doing this too - started it about two years ago

It seems businesses are becoming more like Walmart with low income workers who instead suck the system dry with welfare and food stamps - Not sure how this will all turn out - hopefully those affected stop voting for these GOP bozos but instead they get angry at the ACA and Obama

How is this helpful? Doesn't seem like it is

Over 60% of faculty at colleges are adjunct, makes managing them more difficult - and yet education costs are higher but those working there are getting less - lots of just in time employees

they are looking for a way to see how many colleges within the State a person is an adjunct for since they want to limit their hours Statewide and not just Collegewide

[arcane1]

7. How many are using "Obamacare" as an excuse?

[antigop]

9. we need to decouple health insurance from employment. nt