Florida restaurant owner John Metz, who owns 40+ Denny’s locations on the East Coast, intends to add a 5 percent surcharge to his customers’ bills to offset the costs of Obamacare, beginning in January 2014. And oh yeah, he is also going to cut employee hours to below 30 a week for most of his staff in order to avoid having to provide them with insurance. But shhh, he’s not telling them until next month so mum’s the word.
Apparently, these Denny’s employees aren't going to be allowed to have health insurance, and they’re also not allowed to read.
So is this how it's going to go come January -- job hours being cut and surcharges imposed on customers because businessmen are pissed about Obamacare? Wah, wah, wah! So many people with money and insurance hate Obamacare, especially those people in the medical field. I get it. You "haves" like to keep what you have, and damn Obamacare is going to come in and try and take it from you.
Oh wait, no it’s not. It’s just going to give insurance to poor people who can’t afford it because, newsflash, people with money are not the only people who get sick. People who are sick need medical care. That is the bottom line. Can’t we all just show a little human kindness and be happy that people won’t die because they can’t afford insurance? Or do some of us truly believe that if you are poor, you deserve to die?
Of course, some business owners are going to try to outsmart the system because they don’t want to be penalized or pay for insurance for employees. It will probably soon become big business to find a way to get around paying for Obamacare. I can see it now -- businesses will spend huge amounts of money NOT to spend money on Obamacare.
If businesses are going to punish their employees by taking away hours and punish their customers by adding surcharges just to avoid helping people in need of insurance, then maybe we should all punish these businesses by boycotting their product or business? I think that's a pretty darn good idea.
Do you think it’s okay for businesses to punish employees and customers because they oppose Obamacare?
Image via Curtis Gregory Perry/Flickr
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Comments 72
If he is cutting back MOST of their hours to part time, why does he need to have the surcharge? I'm sure this company makes PLENTY of money and the owner is just having a big, hissy fit.
My cousin has worked 40+ hours a week for years at a machine shop. The owner is laying off a quarter if the employees and cutting the most of full times to 29 hours a week. He can't afford to pay for all if them to have insurance. How the hell can they feed families with such a significant cut to their income??? Will they go on welfare? I know that's the plan of OhBother, but where the hell will the money to fund welfare come from IF EVERYONE IS ON WELFARE????? Meanwhile, President Communist Agenda Dickforbrains is funding the infrastructure of fucking PAKISTAN when the people in the path of Sandy are suffering from a damaged (and somewhat incompetent to begin with) infrastructure ON AMERICAN SOIL.
I hope he chokes to death on his on ego, frankly. And I'd love for the scales to fall from your eyes.
Go ahead, Deborah, boycott all the companies that will be forced to make cuts due to increased taxes. Because that will REALLY HELP the employees keep their jobs. Please get some common sense.
So when Wal Mart posts multi billion dollar profits every year and promotes their employees to use State medi-caid and welfare programs to feel and care for their families, that's okay with everyone? Just checking.
If restaurants provide stellar benefits to waitresses, how will we ever get teachers, nurses and engineers?
How do you hand out coffee and command benefits at the same time?
Grief.
Tnyangel, Walmart does indeed suck. So if this guy is cutting all his employees' hours to avoid paying their insurance, then why does he also need to add a surcharge to customers' bills as well? This guy is a dick throwing a hissy fit. All people should have health insurance because all people get sick. If you are running a business, paying health insurance for your employees should just be part of the cost of having employees. Suck it up and pay it! Business owners need to turn a profit, but they do not need to be rich, and definitely not at the expense of their own employees' health. Their employees are real people too.
But as others have asked, why is he cutting hours AND charging a surcharge? Sounds like someone is just greedy.