Under Obamacare, Disney World Will Promote Its Part-Time Workers To Full-Time Status

[ProSense]

Under Obamacare, Disney World Will Promote Its Part-Time Workers To Full-Time Status

By Sy Mukherjee

The happiest place on earth just got a little happier.

Walt Disney Co. announced on Wednesday that it is offering full-time employment to the 427 part-time employees at its Disney World theme park in Orlando, Florida who work at least 30 hours per week — the threshold at which the Affordable Care Act requires large employers with 50 or more workers to offer basic health benefits to employees or risk paying a $2,000 per employee fine after the first 30 workers.

Disney already offers a level of health coverage that is acceptable under Obamacare to its full-time employees. But part-time workers, including those who work at the 30-hour cutoff set by the health law, receive more limited benefits. Instead of rolling back these workers’ hours to avoid expanding their health coverage, Disney is choosing to promote them to full-time status.

“Disney wants to be proactive,” said Ed Chambers, president of the Service Trades Council union that represents tens of thousands of Orlando Disney employees, in an interview with Bloomberg News. “Disney is way out in front on this.”

That’s a striking departure from some retail and service sector firms that have used Obamacare’s employee coverage requirement as an excuse to cut hours and benefits. While the vast majority of firms are not engaging in such tactics, high-profile stories about companies that do adopt that approach tend to dominate media coverage...Disney’s decision tracks with a recent survey of chief financial officers at large American firms finding that American companies actually intend to increase their number of full-time employees by almost 2 percent over the next year, despite repeated claims by Obamacare critics that the reform law will create a part-time economy, discourage hiring, or encourage employers to roll back workers’ hours to avoid Obamacare.

- more -

http://thinkprogress.org/health/2013/10/02/2716951/disney-world-obamacare-promote-full-time/

Obamacare Enrollment Is Beating Expectations
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023761610

[FSogol]

1. K & R. n/t

[ProSense]

2. More sweet because

it's Florida. The experience reported yesterday:

Florida: MSNBC reports that community health care clinics in Orlando are experiencing long lines as low-income people are visiting to learn more about their options under Obamacare. The CEO of a community clinic in Miami that primarily services uninsured Floridians told MSNBC that Tuesday represents a “new day” for low-income patients who can now gain affordable coverage.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023761610

[Joel thakkar]

4. Florida will be blue soon

I know florida is always known as deep south red state but soon it will change. Florida leaned obama twice in 2008 and 2012 and i am sure as more conservative oldies will pass away, it will become more liberal state.

[ProSense]

7. Likely solid. n/t

[Joel thakkar]

3. Bravo...Disney

I am sure many companies would follow soon

[fitman]

5. Won't hear this soundbite on Rush Limbaugh's show

N/T

[ProSense]

6. Or Fox, which is too busy

editing out the word "shutdown" from an AP story.

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/foxnews-com-alters-ap-reports-to-read-gov-t-slimdown-not-shutdown

[Phentex]

11. This is the first I've heard about it...

although the local news is quick to blame Obamacare for layoffs when other companies have cut back.

I think I'll send them a link.

[dem in texas]

8. The employees of a company are the most its most precious asset

Many low wage employees are now staying in their jobs because they can get employer sponsored medical insurance. With ACA, they can get their own insurance and probably at a better rate. Guess what they will do? Hit the door. A company cannot operate with a high employee turnover rate. Hours are wasted in training, mistakes are made that take time to correct, customers are unhappy, you are so busy trying to solve employee problems, you don't have time to take care of your company's business. I know; I have been there, done that. Walmart has already reversed its policy and is adding back full time employees because of unstocked shelves and customer dissatisfaction.

[fitman]

10. Well said

A friend of mine is a department manager at Lowes..They are looking at hiring more F/T people..p/t's at 4-5 hours per day was not cutting it...the turnover was atrocious.

[fitman]

9. Wal-Mart is converting 35,000 P/T employees back to F/T

Just announced.

[jwirr]

12. Good for Disney World.

[sheshe2]

13. Bravo Walt Disney!

I grew up with you. You never let me down then and you sure as hell have surpassed all my exspectations now!

The Wonderful World of Color~



Thank you Walt Disney!