County Line tries to influence the way its employeed voted...

[OpenD]

Originally Posted by love roses

My husband is on Obamacare and pays $400 per month. .

Details, please. What exactly do you mean by this?

[love roses]

He knows more than me about it. He tells me it costs him, as an individual, about $400 per month. He has high blood pressure and is self employed and was turned down by every insurer he applied to. He had no problems getting the PCIP(?) Obamacare insurance.

[Komeht]

Originally Posted by CptnRn

Yes it is, when the information provided is false and intentionally misleading.

Yes it is, when the information provided is false and intentionally misleading. Coupled with the threat "we will cut back your work hours and raise your insurance costs to exaggerated and false amounts.

It is illegal when they clearly know the dollar amounts they are quoting do not accurately represent what their employees actual cost would be. That is lying, there is nothing constitutionally protected about knowing spreading misinformation and attempting to influence employees decisions.




For anyone who has experienced Voter Intimidation: How to File a Complaint of Voter Intimidation | eHow.com

To anyone else reading this thread - please do not confuse someone's passion about what he thinks is right and wrong with what the law actually is.

CptnRN is accusing County Line (who is only guilty of pushing mediocre overpriced BBQ on unsuspecting tourists) with voter intimidation and economic coercion without a shred of evidence. He confuses passion with legal concepts he could not possibly grasp because he is certainly not an attorney.

Let's be clear here - employers have the same constitutionally protected freedom of speech even morons who post on anonymous internet chatrooms have. It is not a crime to express an opinion on what may or may not happen even if it turns out to be factually incorrect. To date, we live in a country where the freedom to express an opinion is protected even when that opinion turns out to be wrong. There is no evidence whatsoever that CL was doing anything other than attempting to educate their employees on very real impacts that could occur by bringing the law into effect.

There has been no intimidation, threat, coercion, attempt to intimidate, attempt to threaten or attempt to coerce any person . Information (even misinformation) does not create voter intimidation.

[verybadgnome]

I *think* County Line went beyond exercising free speech in this particular case b/c they linked the legislation to their speculation that employees would be hurt by the Affordable Care Act. That is they are trying to influence their opinions under threat of loss of income based on their highly partisan reading of the law. I guess it could be technically legal, but is this something we should expect in the workplace? I work in transportation in local gov't, but I would never endorse any transportation bond wearing my work hat. That would be highly inappropriate and I would question the integrity of anyone who would do so.

And CL is trying to provoke their employees to do exactly what? All of the "T"s have been crossed and all the "I"s have been dotted in all 3 branches of our federal gov't. Texas will likely opt out, and the legislation will be implemented, though possibly modified in the next couple years.

[love roses]

CL did state that they put the memo out because the employees were under the impression that their healthcare would be 100% free, with no out of pocket expense for themselves, which I don't believe is the case.

[OpenD]

Originally Posted by love roses

He knows more than me about it. He tells me it costs him, as an individual, about $400 per month. He has high blood pressure and is self employed and was turned down by every insurer he applied to. He had no problems getting the PCIP(?) Obamacare insurance.

I'm not clear what the complaint is. Before the Affordable Care Act he could not buy health insurance because of a pre-existing medical condition. Now, even before the full law kicks in, the provision that people cannot be denied insurance due to pre-existing conditions has taken effect and he can now buy an individual policy. I don't see the problem.

[Debsi]

The Politics and Controversies forum would be a more appropriate place for this discussion.