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Nation's Biggest Movie Theater Chain Cuts Workweek, Blaming ObamaCare

The Prof

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The nation's largest movie theater chain has cut the hours of thousands of employees, saying in a company memo that ObamaCare requirements are to blame.

Regal Entertainment Group, which operates more than 500 theaters in 38 states, last month rolled back shifts for non-salaried workers to 30 hours per week, putting them under the threshold at which employers are required to provide health insurance. The Nashville-based company said in a letter to managers that the move was a direct result of ObamaCare.

“To comply with the Affordable Care Act, Regal had to increase our health care budget to cover those newly deemed eligible based on the law's definition of a full time employee.”

“In addition, some managers have requested guidance on what they should tell those employees negatively impacted and, at your discretion, we suggest the following,” read the memo obtained by FoxNews.com. “To comply with the Affordable Care Act, Regal had to increase our health care budget to cover those newly deemed eligible based on the law's definition of a full-time employee.”

“To manage this budget, all other employees will be scheduled in accord with business needs and in a manner that will not negatively impact our health care budget,” the message continues.

Regal, which had revenue of $2.8 billion in 2011, is the latest company to respond this way to the Affordable Health Care Act's requirement that employees at companies of a certain size who work more than 30 hours per week be provided health coverage. Applebee's and Olive Garden also scaled back the hours of workers. A handful of colleges have cut hours because of the law, including Palm Beach State College in Florida and New Jersey’s Kean University. Critics say the law is boomeranging on working folks.

In addition to the movie theater chain and several restaurants, the state of Virginia also rolled back the hours of all part-time employees back to 29 per week in February, with officials from the state claiming that the new mandate would cost the state tens of millions of dollars a year.

Nation's biggest movie theater chain cuts workweek, blaming ObamaCare | Fox News

consequences unintended, it may be

but certainly not unforeseen
 
But but but Obama guaranteed that if you like the healthcare you have, nothing in this bill will stop you from keeping it.

Im sure that is still true...... The people whose hours are getting cut didn't have care before unless they paid out of their pocket and not through their employer.



He never said anything about keeping the same pay and hours at their current employer.
 
Never worry. When all these people are forced onto medicaid, Walmart employees receiving government benefits will no longer be a left wing meme since they will have 4 fingers pointing back at them every time they bring that up..
 
Im sure that is still true...... The people whose hours are getting cut didn't have care before unless they paid out of their pocket and not through their employer.



He never said anything about keeping the same pay and hours at their current employer.

I appreciate your point, although I question the sweeping assumption you make that such people don't currently have healthcare and are only losing hours of work - I can't point to specific instances this moment, but I do recall several stories relating a loss of employer provided healthcare because of the costs involved with meeting the Obamacare mandates for such coverage.
 
I appreciate your point, although I question the sweeping assumption you make that such people don't currently have healthcare and are only losing hours of work - I can't point to specific instances this moment, but I do recall several stories relating a loss of employer provided healthcare because of the costs involved with meeting the Obamacare mandates for such coverage.

Regal isn't talking about managers.... they don't go hourly. They are talking about the popcorn makers, the ticket takers... those sorts of people...

How, if you are telling me that the ticket takers are getting coverage paid for in part (or full) by their employer.... well.... I just find that difficult to believe.


I understand Wal-Mart does over average joe employees a health benefits package.... but last I heard it was too damned expensive for any average joe employee to afford.
 
Good for them. Movie theatres are not in business for entertaining people, or cow-towing to government regulations. They're in business to (cover your ears, liberals) make money. When ObamaCare gets in the way of that, they must adjust their business practices.

I just hope that most of the employees affected are liberals. The same ones who voted for the current Jerk-In-Chief.
 
Regal isn't talking about managers.... they don't go hourly. They are talking about the popcorn makers, the ticket takers... those sorts of people...

How, if you are telling me that the ticket takers are getting coverage paid for in part (or full) by their employer.... well.... I just find that difficult to believe.


I understand Wal-Mart does over average joe employees a health benefits package.... but last I heard it was too damned expensive for any average joe employee to afford.

I'm not saying anything about Regal, I don't know the answers - my comments were in reference to your remarks that didn't seem to be limited to Regal and the OP mentioned several other companies and I don't know their healthcare status either.
 
I'm not saying anything about Regal, I don't know the answers - my comments were in reference to your remarks that didn't seem to be limited to Regal and the OP mentioned several other companies and I don't know their healthcare status either.

Agree to disagree.

I don't think anyone who is getting their hours cut are losing employer provided health insurance either way.


But, having a bunch of people turn into part time employees is going to be ****ty on the economy. Makes me seriously consider sticking this military thing out.
 
Let me guess... the owner is a main contributor to the GOP ..
 
Im sure that is still true...... The people whose hours are getting cut didn't have care before unless they paid out of their pocket and not through their employer.



He never said anything about keeping the same pay and hours at their current employer.

What an awesome result! Obama is a ****-for-brains.
 
Let me guess... the owner is a main contributor to the GOP ..

It's called a business decision, something socialists wouldn't understand.
 
It's called a business decision, something socialists wouldn't understand.

Has nothing to do with business..... but if you want to live in a fantasy world like that.. be my guest. This is political pure and simple.
 
Has nothing to do with business..... but if you want to live in a fantasy world like that.. be my guest. This is political pure and simple.

Tell us Pete... what was the decision based on then?

Pete... perhaps you should run for office in Spain and share with them your expertise in Pelosinomics.
 
Has nothing to do with business......

That seems to fly in the face of basic logic. We're talking about an employer who, if they left their employees schedules the same would be required to either provide health care to the employees or to pay a $2000 per employee fine for not doing so. Either way there is a significant cost to keeping these individuals as full-time employees. By reducing those employees hours, the company ensures they don't have to pay either the health care costs or the fine. Definitely sounds like a good business decision to me.
 
It's called a business decision, something socialists wouldn't understand.

It's a business decision 'tis true. There are other options, however. These other options, though, might cut into profits. Not something most companies would choose to do.
 
Regal isn't talking about managers.... they don't go hourly. They are talking about the popcorn makers, the ticket takers... those sorts of people...

How, if you are telling me that the ticket takers are getting coverage paid for in part (or full) by their employer.... well.... I just find that difficult to believe.


I understand Wal-Mart does over average joe employees a health benefits package.... but last I heard it was too damned expensive for any average joe employee to afford.

They don't get it now, but I think under the new law they would be required to give it to them if they had enough hours, hence the policy change. If they *had* to give them the coverage benefit, my guess is that they would either reduce census and/or cut wages to offset the increase expense.
 
Let me guess... the owner is a main contributor to the GOP ..

As a publicly traded company, it is safe to assume that some owners contribute to all political parties.
 
That seems to fly in the face of basic logic. We're talking about an employer who, if they left their employees schedules the same would be required to either provide health care to the employees or to pay a $2000 per employee fine for not doing so. Either way there is a significant cost to keeping these individuals as full-time employees. By reducing those employees hours, the company ensures they don't have to pay either the health care costs or the fine. Definitely sounds like a good business decision to me.

No thing that flies in the face of basic logic is your whole healthcare system. Either he provides healthcare or these people will spend YOUR tax dollars at emergency rooms when they get injured and sick. And dont come with "they can get their own healthcare insurance"..... most of them dont earn enough to pay for insurance and food and housing.
 
No thing that flies in the face of basic logic is your whole healthcare system. Either he provides healthcare or these people will spend YOUR tax dollars at emergency rooms when they get injured and sick. And dont come with "they can get their own healthcare insurance"..... most of them dont earn enough to pay for insurance and food and housing.

Which is no different than it is today, except now we have increased tax dollars going into a program(ACA) that is broken to start with.
 
There is no question that Obamacare both increases the cost of health care and makes certain fewer people have it. That gives government a bunch of new future issues to attack and grow government even more. It also moves countless billions of dollars from the productive private sector to the government in taxes. Sounds like a winner for the government. I can't imagine why anyone is surprised.
 
No thing that flies in the face of basic logic is your whole healthcare system. Either he provides healthcare or these people will spend YOUR tax dollars at emergency rooms when they get injured and sick. And dont come with "they can get their own healthcare insurance"..... most of them dont earn enough to pay for insurance and food and housing.

Pete, what you need to understand is that the United States is not Europe or the EU. This nation was founded and grown by people who wanted to get away from Europe and thinge European. Like Socialism, for example. To that end this nation's systems and society were founded on the ideal of PERSONAL Responsibility, not GOVERNMENTAL Nannydom. It has NEVER been the place of the US Government to have ANY involvement in healthcare. In fact, President Reagan's bill forcing hospitals to treat those who cannot pay is one of the greatest signs that he is NOT the grand Conservative that many still make him out to be. Instead, he was simply the same bumbling Liberal Democrat that he has always been. Yes, most of us get our healthcare through our employers. Most of us also don't plan our careers as movie theater managers. Think little, get little. Think big, get big.
 
possibly a blessing in disguise. the more employers who drop health insurance, the closer we get to single payer. unfortunately, it hurts employees. hopefully, they will get enough of it and unionize.
 
possibly a blessing in disguise. the more employers who drop health insurance, the closer we get to single payer.

OVER MY DEAD BODY!!!!, thank you very much. Even if I didn't get the chance to die opposing it, I would die BECAUSE of it.

unfortunately, it hurts employees. hopefully, they will get enough of it and unionize.

Healthcare is NOT a right, Helix. Never has been and never should be. It's a privilege for those who are capable of paying for it, or who are valued enough by their employers to earn it as a benefit. As for joining the union..... Mine is currently in contract negotiations and we've been told the company wants US to take a much bigger bite of the healthcare apple BECAUSE of the ACA. No thanks.
 
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