Olive Garden, Red Lobster Scale Back Employee Work Hours to Avoid Paying for Health Insurance

rjm3590's Avatar
Darden Restaurants Inc., the parent company of popular casual dining establishments such as Olive Garden, Red Lobster, and LongHorn Steakhouse, is no longer offering full-time work schedules to employees at "a select number" of restaurants in four markets across the country.

Though details were scant, the company did say there were no immediate plans to expand the "test," which is aimed at "help[ing] us address the cost implications health care reform will have on our business."

Starting January 2014, when most major provisions of the Affordable Care Act go into effect, companies with over 50 employees will be required to provide health insurance to employees working over 30 hours a week. Companies that flout the law will be fined $3,000 per uncovered employee.

"I think a lot of those employers, especially restaurants, are just going to ensure nobody gets scheduled more than 30 hours a week," Matthew Snook of the human-resources consulting company Mercer told the Orlando Sentinel.

Jumping the gun, Darden said in its statement that employees at restaurants where the pilot program was put in place will be limited to 28 hours a week.

A recent study by the nonpartisan Urban Institute found that companies with over 1,000 employees will only experience a 4.3 percent increase in overall spending due to added healthcare costs. Currently, some 75 percent of Darden's 180,000 employees are already working exclusively part-time and are not eligible for benefits.

Darden, which, ironically, bills itself as "the world's largest full-service restaurant company," made headlines last year when it started a "tip sharing" program requiring the waitstaff to share its tips with all other employees. According to the Associated Press, "That allows Darden to pay more workers a far lower 'tip credit wage' of $2.13, rather than the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour."

http://gawker.com/red-lobster/
WTF's Avatar
  • WTF
  • 10-10-2012, 08:44 AM
Where will JD take his students out now to impress them with his Boy Scout skills?

This kind of response is what Obama was hoping for...it is his goal to have a single payer nationalized health care system. He told us that was his plan, but that it would have to be accomplished incrementally.
waverunner234's Avatar
"That allows Darden to pay more workers a far lower 'tip credit wage' of $2.13, rather than the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour."
Originally Posted by rjm3590
American greed at its finest!

And everyone wonders why the world hates Americans.
On the world stage, it is more desirable to be feared than loved.

BTW, has anyone lately told you what a jerk you are ?
waverunner234's Avatar
On the world stage, it is more desirable to be feared than loved.

BTW, has anyone lately told you what a jerk you are ? Originally Posted by Whirlaway
When I travel I hide my Green Card, just use my passport from another country.
Why do you think that is?
WTF's Avatar
  • WTF
  • 10-10-2012, 09:36 AM
When I travel I hide my Green Card, just use my passport from another country.
Why do you think that is? Originally Posted by waverunner234
Whirlys probably never been out side of Texas.
blue3122's Avatar
American greed at its finest!

And everyone wonders why the world hates Americans. Originally Posted by waverunner234
I just got back from Santa Fe where they have a "living wage" of around $10-$11. (I never got the exact amount). In the 6 or 7 places we ate, service was terrible in all but one. One high end place we ate, I asked the waiter why service was slow and not very good.

His reply was that now that everyone gets the $11/hour rate, tipping has dropped off to about 5%. Prior to that, he made $2.50 plus tips. He said most nights his tips were around $200 for a 6-7 hour shift. Now his tips are down to about $50-60 for a 5 hour shift. The management cut back shift hours, experienced waiters quit because their tips dropped by $150 per night. So by "helping" out everyone with a "living" wage, the service people have been screwed.

The only place we got good bar service I asked the guy about it. He was the owner. He was now bartending full time and had let go two of his bartenders due to the "living" wage law.

The law of unintended consequences strikes again.
CuteOldGuy's Avatar
American greed at its finest!

And everyone wonders why the world hates Americans. Originally Posted by waverunner234
The world hates Americans because we keep bombing them. It has nothing to do with our wage structure.

And businesses are in business TO MAKE MONEY! That is why you do what you do. If the government added more expense to your business, you'd try to find a way around it, too.

Businesses are not started to provide jobs and health insurance. They are started to TO MAKE MONEY. It's that way everywhere some form of free enterprise exists.
LexusLover's Avatar
Remember: Obamacare was supposed to create jobs ... it will.....

.... 1 full time = 2 part-time jobs.

See, it's working. Another accomplishment for Obaminable. Right it down.
CJ7's Avatar
  • CJ7
  • 10-10-2012, 04:14 PM
the retail and diner biz has been doing that forever and a day.... this is nothing new boys and girls.


but play like it is anway, its good fodder for the idiots that know no different
TheDaliLama's Avatar

And everyone wonders why the world hates Americans. Originally Posted by waverunner234
I think they just hate you.
LexusLover's Avatar
the retail and diner biz has been doing that forever and a day.... this is nothing new boys and girls.... Originally Posted by CJ7
Probably not where you were able to get a job, but there are some quality employers that have hired quality "team members" to work for them and in exchange for the quality service they have provided for their quality employees they have been providing them quality healthcare and retirement packages with vacation, sick leave, and family leave.

Of course, any place that would hire you wouldn't have those kinds of benefits. Boy.
CJ7's Avatar
  • CJ7
  • 10-10-2012, 04:53 PM
Probably not where you were able to get a job, but there are some quality employers that have hired quality "team members" to work for them and in exchange for the quality service they have provided for their quality employees they have been providing them quality healthcare and retirement packages with vacation, sick leave, and family leave.

Of course, any place that would hire you wouldn't have those kinds of benefits. Boy. Originally Posted by LexusLover

gee, what a sophomoric back handed pussy boy slap... suits you well.


I happen to know the manager of one of the most successful steak houses in the state, and my duaghter worked her way through high school at another national chain steak house, and to hear it first hand from both sources, the management happens to be the only employees privy to benefit packages .... servers work full time and or part time for min wage + tips. ... bus boys with benefit packages not so much.

Boy.

here ya go dumbass ...

What are the hours of operation for Olive Garden?
  • Most restaurants open at 11:00 a.m. for lunch. Dinner is served beginning at 4:00 p.m. Our practice is to serve our dinner menu all day on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays. As a courtesy to guests who ask, we will provide a lunch menu at any time. Normally, lunch is served only Monday through Friday from 11:00 to 4:00. Closing hours on Sunday through Thursday are 10:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. There are some regional variations and new restaurants are open for dinner only during the first few weeks of operation. Please contact your local Olive Garden by telephone for specific information
they run 2 - 6 hour shifts, lunch and dinner ... to break a 40 week employees would have to work 7 days, every week, they dont and mostly WONT ... my daughter made out the shift schedules ...

now go fuck yourself
CreepyOldLoser[/B];1051717477]The world hates Americans because we keep bombing them. It has nothing to do with our wage structure.
Originally Posted by [B

Yeah, we bomb those Frenchies all the time! HA! HA! HA! Sometimes I think you are a closet Marxist, but the rest of your post was good......when I use to walk by the Occupy Wallstreet turds, I looked at the old hippy types in the group and wondered which one was you.....

Americans are hated because we are the richest and strongest country in the world....people are always jealous and hateful toward #1....class envy......it's the emotions Odumbo is trying to tap into.....