April 1, 2013

Popeyes President: “Employees Want to Work Part-Time Because of Obamacare”

Popeyes believes some of its employees will choose to cut their hours to try to dodge a fee under the Affordable Care Act, but this would not aid in avoiding said cost.

The new health care law, Obamacare, requires that Americans have health insurance or receive a penalty, unless they qualify for an exemption.

Ralph Bower, Popeyes’ U.S. President, spoke with The Huffington Post and mentioned that he believed some workers will choose to go part-time because he thought the law applied to only full time workers. The mandate applies to all Americans, Bower later recognized this.

“Our fear is that some of our employees that are full-time employees will cut back on their hours so that they won’t be subject to [the mandate],” Bower said in an interview. “My understanding is that if you’re working part-time, then you’re not mandated to buy the insurance. … If you’re not a full-time employee, then you don’t fall under the mandate.”