Staples Workers: Thanks for Nothing, Obamacare (Laws have consequences)

Legal Insurrection

"Due to regulations imposed by Obamacare, some businesses are cutting the work hours of their employees. This was a known, predicted consequence of the Affordable Care Act. Staples is just the latest newsworthy example.

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Staples threatens to fire employees who work more than 25 hours a week

Part-time Staples workers are furious that they could be fired for working more than 25 hours a week.

The company implemented the policy to avoid paying benefits under the Affordable Care Act, reports Sapna Maheshwari at Buzzfeed. The healthcare law mandates that workers with more than 30 hours a week receive healthcare.

If Staples doesn’t offer benefits, it could be fined $3,000 in penalties per person.

Buzzfeed spoke with several Staples workers who revealed their hours have been drastically cut over the past year. Many reported working as few as 20 hours.

The workers started a petition on Change.org asking the company not to “cut part-time hours because of Obamacare.”

"It’s terrible that these folks are losing work hours, but it’s not unexpected, and it’s not the fault of Staples—that’s just as far as an employee wants to look when it’s suddenly gotten harder to pay the bills and feed their families.

"You think it’s bad now, wait until people start dealing with their tax returns." . . .