My comment:  Well, Hello!  Seems there will be a lot of people waking up to find their livelihood is not as lively as they thought when they voted for ‘Hope & Change.’

Local governments across the country are facing the dilemma of cutting part-time employees’ work hours to below 30 hours a week to avoid paying the increasing cost of health care under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

Even though the Obama administration has postponed, until January 2015, the employer mandate that requires all companies, school districts and municipalities to provide health care for employees who work 30 hours a week or more, or face a penalty of $2,000 to $3,000 per worker, many have decided to reduce their employees’ work hours this year.

In Middletown, N.J., for instance, Township Administrator Anthony Mercantante told the Asbury Park Press that part-time employees’ hours have been reduced since May 1 to less than 30 hours a week, because, he said, “it’s not clear how far back the federal government will look at employee hours. So to stay on the safe side, the township is making the move to reduce hours now.”

Township officials estimate that without adjusting employees’ hours, heath care costs would have increased by $775,000 per year.

Under the ACA, best known as Obamacare, working 30 hours a week is considered full-time employment.

Last month, Florida Today reported that employees in Brevard County who work an average 30 hours a week are already having their hours cut to avoid the $1.38 million annual costs to pay for employees’ health insurance under the ACA.

via US Cities Cut Employees’ Work Hours to Avoid Paying for Obamacare.

Categories: news

Tags: full time jobs cut to 30 hrs./week, news, obamacare