HR is it legal to reduce PTO?

[Rabrrita]

Originally Posted by Katie1013

Yes!

My company's rates went down. But costs for employees went up. Most employees blamed the ACA not realizing that it was the company paying a smaller percentage of coverage. The company allowed that thinking.

If you want a true answer whether costs have gone up or down, you should compare the cobra rates for the different years but check that coverage is the same. A HDHP will cost less than a PPO so make sure you're comparing apples to apples.

But how many of these employees even know they have access to COBRA rates each year, much less look at it. Unfortunately, this subject reinforces just how stupid many employees are. For some reason, employees, being what they are nowadays, have a really hard time grasping that if the COBRA rates have stayed the same or gone down, yet they are paying more each month, maybe, just maybe it's the employer cutting their own contribution but blaming it on the ACA. If you have a workforce that can't order a cup of coffee without checking facebook, can you really blame us for taking advantage of employee stupidity?

[MartyGras]

It may be legal but that doesn't mean you don't have a case if you wanted to file suit.
There was define toy an implied contract between you and your employer. In addition it is somthing that you earned based on years of work performed
Gary

[pittsflyer]

Originally Posted by vision33r

This is why companies give out less perks because it's harder to take it away later on.

Yea because people make major life decisions on how the company views work life balance, bennifits etc. So when a family moves to an area for a job, puts kids in school, buys a house yea they will be upset when the company turns the situation upside down.


This is in part what is causing our nation to fall apart, where is the incentive to work hard and be loyal when there are no legal protections to prevent these sorts of scenarios.


Typically when mass lay offs happen there are few if any like jobs in a reasonable distance so it then snow balls into forclosures, divorces and a whole host of other social problems. Sure if people were smart they would only buy into a house that they could afford to pay on with a liquor store job but that would require a horrendous amount down and most people don't want to start a family when they 40 years old after they have saved a gillion dollars for 70% down so that they can afford to pay the note on a marginal job wage in the event of a lay off without having to move. There are no such thing as starter homes in safe areas with good schools and good jobs anymore, you have to live in a gang infested slum to get into starter home prices in most places that have any sort of economic activity going on.


When you over simplify the social consequences of unfettered capitalism with little to no controls it is intellectually dishonest.


If the company offers shabby pay benefits and work flexibility then people wont take the job, they will go else where before they have set down any roots and are still mobile.


So companies cant complain when everyone is stoned and we start to experience second and in some areas even 3rd world conditions, infrastructure and work ethic. Because they brought this on themselves.


It would be one thing if it was one marginal size (100-1000 people) company that was pushing capitalism to its max and engaging in questionable behavior but there is now a proliferation of this kind of behavior because monkey see monkey do, company A sees the shabby company B getting filthy rich off these under handed tactics so they start doing it and where the markets and society could handle one slum lord employer/company we cant tolerate a whole nation of nothing but bottom line watchers and maximum profits at the expense of everything else companies. We will implode.


Henry ford set the prices of his cars so that his workers could afford them, now days they use credit so people have to leverage their future for something that depreciates in value. That is an untenable situation.

[pittsflyer]

Originally Posted by Rabrrita

But how many of these employees even know they have access to COBRA rates each year, much less look at it. Unfortunately, this subject reinforces just how stupid many employees are. For some reason, employees, being what they are nowadays, have a really hard time grasping that if the COBRA rates have stayed the same or gone down, yet they are paying more each month, maybe, just maybe it's the employer cutting their own contribution but blaming it on the ACA. If you have a workforce that can't order a cup of coffee without checking facebook, can you really blame us for taking advantage of employee stupidity?

Yes, I should not have to be constantly personally investigating fraud, we will become unproductive as a society if the onus is put on the little guy to always have to be lawyering up and filing suit UNLESS the courts start making an example out of these companies and awarding massive punitive damages when they are caught with their hands in the cookie jar. I am talking about total confiscation of the CEO's lake home and punitive damages so extreme it takes the company right to the edge of going under and the courts need to mico manage the companies money flow to ensure the company does not offset the pay outs with lay offs. Attach all the personal assets of the top leadership first and then have a special task force that keeps that company under the microscope for 5 years.


That's the issue now days is its harder and harder to get punitive damages, why would I take time away from my family, moon lighting business building, etc to go thorugh a knock down drag out legal battle where all I get back is my legal fees and a few bucks, assuming I even win. It does not send a message or modify corporate behavior. the costs need to be made low for the little guy and the consequences absolutly brutal for the company if there are shenanigans.


Oh yea and black balled in the area because you know all the shabby company top leadership all talk to each other so if I cant get at LEAST a million bucks out of whistle blowing why would I put my entire family out. A million bucks to be permenantly unemployed is probably not enough, if you were the guy to whistle blow your name would be in the paper and NO one would hire you. Whistle blowers need to be made whole. Maybe a million bucks and a gaurenteed state job ...