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This practice, has happened, is happening, and will happen in the future, with our without Obamacare. I work with the urban poor, if you don't think restaurants, fast food chains, retail stores, generally speaking, the entire service industry, doesn't cap part-time workers at x hours per week to avoid paying them appropriate benefits, you are sorely mistaken.
As others mentioned, this would be a reason not to support this type of store, regardless. It's poor business practice to 'profit' off of the backs of your hard-working employees.
Obamacare would provide federal healthcare subsidies for the many part-time employees right now who are unable to receive benefits from their employers who have practiced this type of business prior to the birth of Obamacare.
Here's an article from the WSJ, not biased to one side, that provides more detail about the program, it's pros, cons, and, why something needs to be done to fix the present dysfunctional state of our healthcare system:
The hours are now being capped lower and a year in advance.
If industry standards has 70% of the workforce in these types of positions at PT to begin with, (as I rambled about in a recent post), this honestly isn't going to change much. The trend for most retailers to force more of their staff into PT status was/is something that is going to become inevitable, regardless if Obamacare stays or goes.
At least through the program, these individuals have a better option for healthcare, something they can at least consider, whereas now they are priced out of the private market, and/or have nothing except public assistance to rely upon if they qualify.
Further, my hunch is that a policy change or two could correct this grimy FT to PT shift loophole--it's obviously not the intended effect and goes to show you what certain companies will do to save a buck at the expense of their workforce.
And the consequences of that ? will the UE rate drop in 2013 ? will it show increases of PT employees?
Just as I said the UE will drop no matter if it is Obama/Romney and they will pat their selves on the back and take credit for their programs working. And the ignorant will eat this sheet up like it is a Philly steak sandwich
But the poverty rate will increase with people working fewer hours, how will they explain that?
They will just work a 2nd job....but it's still a PITA to have to juggle schedules and often the persons 2nd job pays less because they have to take something lesser at times because it has to fit around their 1st jobs schedule.
That works only until the two jobs have a scheduling conflict and you literally have to choose which job to keep and which to give up.
Companies may have limited the hours worked to keep p/t status but before Obamacare it was the company that was able to decide at what point p/t became full time. It ranged from 34 hours to 40 hours.
With Obamacare, full time status is now set at 30 hours. So that part time worker who got 39 hours per week will no longer be part time according to Obamacare. If that company wants to keep their employees at part time status they will have to decrease hours to under 30. This is all companies now.
The 40 hour work week for full time just decreased 10 hours.
30 hours makes you a full time employee. These types of workers are hourly workers. Obamacare is making a lot more workers making a lot less salary now.
This will do wonders to further underemployment and our "Race to the Bottom".
Will rents fall to compensate for lower incomes? Fuhgeddaboutit...
You realize, I hope, that companies hire people to satisfy man hour needs. The full time employees will still be full time employees, there will likely be more part time employees. I fail to see the issue, other than more people earning some income, albeit part time.
"Down at the mill they got a new machine...the foreman says it cuts manpower 'about fifteen"
You don't suppose a worker whose hours are cut to basically half time might consider two jobs so as to increase their earnings?
Should be available hours from all those other employers also cutting hours, doncha think?
Or do you expect people will just sit around and cry that they can now only bring home 'half"?
That works only until your two jobs have a scheduling conflict and you have to choose which job to throw away.
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