Darden tests limiting worker hours as health-care changes loom [CEO is BIG Obama supporter!]

Orlando Sentinel ^ | October 7, 2012

[SoFloFreeper]

In an experiment apparently aimed at keeping down the cost of health-care reform, Orlando-based Darden Restaurants has stopped offering full-time schedules to many hourly workers in at least a few Olive Gardens, Red Lobsters and LongHorn Steakhouses.

Darden said the test is taking place in "a select number" of restaurants in four markets, including Central Florida, but would not give details. The company said there has been no decision made about expanding it.

In an emailed statement, Darden said staffing changes are "just one of the many things we are evaluating to help us address the cost implications health care reform will have on our business. There are still many unanswered questions regarding the health care regulations and we simply do not have enough information to make any decisions at this time."

Analysts say many other companies, including the White Castle hamburger chain, are considering employing fewer full-timers because of key features of the Affordable Care Act scheduled to go into effect in 2014. Under that law, large companies must provide affordable health insurance to employees working an average of at least 30 hours per week.

[SoFloFreeper]

More jobs destroyed because of Obamugabe. And the chief of Darden restaurants is a big donor to Obamugabe.

[MarkL]

Plus, with the shorter hours per worker, Darden will have to employ MORE part time workers, which will further lower the phoney "unemployment" rate that the government uses these days, showing how successful Obama's policies are.

Mark

[MarkL]

Plus, with the shorter hours per worker, Darden will have to employ MORE part time workers, which will further lower the phoney "unemployment" rate that the government uses these days, showing how successful Obama's policies are.

Mark

[harpu]

And, here's Darden's CEO.

A picture is sometimes worth a 1,000 words.

[NonValueAdded]

More jobs destroyed because of Obamugabe.

Actually, this could lead to MORE McJobs - sucky part-time no-benefits jobs to be sure, but more of them to cover the hours of operation. Servers will pick up a second shift at an unrelated business in order to get their 40 hours (sans benefits), the DOL will aggregate these part-time jobs into FTEs (full-time equivalents) and report a DROP in unemployment. The gubermint wins, the employer wins, the employee is screwed.

[HangingTuff]

I thought I read somewhere that they were changing the work week to 30 hours is full time. Did anyone else read that ?

[Wuli]

That’s O.K., if Darden puts their hours into a status where Darden can drop them from it’s health plan, Obamacare requires they must get their own coverage or pay a fine, no?

[tanknetter]

Remember that Obamacare shouldn’t be seen as an end or outcome, but an incremental path designed to collapse the current system and bring about single payer.

These workers are going to end up being pushed into the public option. Which will snowball as more and more companies see ending health insurance as a benefit as a means to lower costs to stay competitive with the companies that already have.

[ridesthemiles]

More chickens ‘coming home to roost’.