In early October 2012, both the Orlando Sentinel and the Dallas Business Journal reported Darden Restaurants would experiment with limiting the hours worked by its employees in order to avoid health care requirements under Obamacare. Darden Restaurants, owners of the dining chains Olive Garden, Red Lobster, The Capital Grille, Longhorn Steakhouse and Eddie V’s (to name a few), according to the DBJ, would explore the viability of limiting hourly workers to 28 hours per week. As noted in the DBJ article:
“Under a provision of the Affordable Care Act that takes effect in 2014, large companies must offer health care to employees who work 30 hours or more in week. If they don’t do so, companies can be fined up to $3,000 for each employee who turns to an insurance exchange for coverage”
On Sunday November 4th, Doug Ross reported on his blog that “Faith”, a mid-level manager at Kroger Stores, learned:
“Last week we found out that, beginning in January, any employee who is not full-time at that point, will be limited to 28 hours per week and all new hires will be subject to the same policy.”
According to the News Releases section of Kroger’s own website:
Kroger, one of the world’s largest retailers, employs more than 339,000 associates who serve customers in 2,425 supermarkets and multi-department stores in 31 states under two dozen local banner names..
Within a 30 mile radius of Houston zip code 77019, there are over 50 Kroger Stores. Here’s a screen shot of four Kroger stores inside Loop 610:
Will Houston-area Kroger employees become casualties of Obamacare?
Surely the United Food & Commercial Workers Union Houston Local 455 might know something, right?
Wrong.
They’ve updated their website with an article on Obama’s win, but all I hear are crickets chirping on the issue of “protecting” workers rights and benefits.
Tell me how many Kroger stores YOU KNOW that employ the evil 1{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986}, fat cat, rich people Houston voters and politicians supported raising taxes on under Obamacare and the bond propositions. I am always helpfully greeted by middle class deli clerks, cashiers, butchers and shopping cart attendees who are surely going to be devastated & exhausted by having to work a second job to support themselves, their families and to pay for the tax hikes coming.
Hey, that’s what Nancy Pelosi and Sheila Jackson-Lee promised: “Obamacare will create 4,000,000 jobs.”
Many Houstonians will have to work a second job to support their families and pay Mayor’s Parker’s tax increases.
Good Job Great Houston, Good Job.