Walmart Workers To Get No-Cost Surgery At Mayo Clinic, Other Top Hospitals. Under Health Care Reform, Employers May Slash Workers' Hours To Avoid Mandate. Working as a server at a Capital Grille in Tampa, Fla., Kevin Kearney typically picks up more than 30 hours per week, bringing home just enough money to support his wife and two young children. One or two lost shifts at the restaurant, he says, "can make or break me on a monthly basis. " Kearney worries that those one or two critical shifts might vanish in 2014, when many of the regulations under the President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, go into effect. Under the law, companies will be responsible for providing coverage for workers or they will face government penalties -- but not for employees who log fewer than 30 hours per week on average.
In the choice between either cutting workers' hours or settling for a smaller profit margin, Kearney expects most companies will be more concerned with their own bottom lines than with those of their workers. "They're ahead of the curve," said the 40-year-old Kearney. Willingham earns a little above minimum wage. Darden Restaurants Orlando: Darden Restaurants part-time employment system in Orlando at some Red Lobster, Olive Garden. 7:15 p.m. EST, October 7, 2012| By Sandra Pedicini, Orlando Sentinel 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.
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. Darden has been aggressively keeping labor costs down. David Siegel Email To Workers Threatens Layoffs If Obama Is Reelected (UPDATE) The CEO Who Built Himself America's Largest House Just Threatened to Fire His Employees if Obama's Elected.