Omaha, NE – In a alleged attempt to avoid having to pay for Obamacare, a Wendy’s franchise owner is cutting the hours of nearly 300 employees.
Gary Burdette is the vice president of operations for the Omaha Wendy’s franchise that is slashing hours in order to deal with costs associated with the President’s controversial healthcare plan. According to WOWT , Burdette said all non-management employees will have their hours reduced to 28 per week.
T.J. Growbeck, an employee at one of the 11 Wendy’s locations owned by the franchisee, said he would be affected by the decrease in his paycheck.
He explained:
“It has a huge effect on me and pretty much everybody that I work with. I’m hoping that I can get some sort of promotion because then I would get my hours, but everybody is shooting for that because of the hours being cut.”
According to The Huffington Post , the Affordable Health Care Act requires employers to provide health insurance for any employee that works between 32 and 38 hours per week. All of the non-management personnel at the Omaha Wendy’s franchise will fall short of eligibility by four hours.
Wendy’s spokesperson Danny Lynch told the website that the decision made by the Omaha Wendy’s franchise was not handed down by the company itself.
He explained:
“Our franchisees are independent businesspeople, and they make the decisions regarding their restaurant teams. As small-business employers, our franchisees are facing rising food and operating costs and many new government regulations.”
It’s also being reported that Wendy’s franchises in Arkansas and Idaho are undertaking similar measures in order to avoid the costs associated with Obamacare.
The Inquisitr previously reported that Darden Restaurants, which owns both Olive Garden and Red Lobster, attempted to cut employee hours last year. However, backlash from the announcement ultimately forced the company to change its mind.
What do you think about the Wendy’s franchisee cutting hours to avoid paying for health insurance?