Many cash-strapped cities and counties facing the prospect of shelling out hundreds of thousands of dollars in new health-care costs under the Affordable Care Act are opting instead to reduce the number of hours their part-time employees work.
The decisions to cut employee hours come 16 months before employers — including state and local governments — will be required to offer health-care coverage to employees who work at least 30 hours a week. Some local officials said the cuts are happening now either because of labor contracts that must be negotiated in advance, or because the local governments worry that employees who work at least 30 hours in the months leading up to the January 2015 implementation date would need to be included in their health-care plans.
Via Hot Air. This is particularly ironic, given that the public sector has been fertile ground for Democratic votes for the past few generations: but then, this administration is absolutely notorious when it comes to betraying its most loyal allies and client groups. But, rest assured: surely the executive branch recognizes by now the issue here faced by local, county, and state governments, and are prepared to address said governments’ stated conce…
In a statement provided to GovBeat, White House Council of Economic Advisers chairman Jason Furman said there is no evidence that the Affordable Care Act is prompting employers to add part-time rather than full-time positions.
…Wait. What?
Moe Lane (crosspost)
PS: There is a phrase that the Left uses called ‘voting your class interest.’ I suggest that those members of the public sector that believe in such things start thinking about the implications of the administration’s current assault on their health care…
Might this still work to public sector union advantage by increasing the numbers dues paying part timers, assuming more part timers are hired to cover for the loss of full time employees?
You mean the growing number of guys working side-by-side with (or reporting to) the full-timers? Scrambling for health insurance or going without while the guy next to them has his paid for by their taxes? Separated by an unbreakable “hours wall” from ever hoping to be that guy?
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Dues-paying members, sure. Also trouble-making and contrary, not to mention voting members. Unless the union decides to make them second-class citizens in that way as well, which will REALLY bode well for workforce harmony.
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Obamacare. Win-win for everybody. Right?
Good to know that Obamacare covers state and local government workers as so many bills in the past excluded them. Their pension plans were not covered by the Employee Retirement and Income Security Act which has greatly contributed to what otherwise would be the criminal underfunding of their pension trust funds.
And I still want to laugh in their collective face. 😉
So obama just writes a blanket waiver for AFSCAME employers. QED