Due to ACA, Disney World Will Promote Its Part-Time Workers To Full-Time Status

[Captain Neo]

Probably Bob Iger's boldest move yet

The happiest place on earth just got a little happier.

Walt Disney Co. announced on Wednesday that it is offering full-time employment to the 427 part-time employees at its Disney World theme park in Orlando, Florida who work at least 30 hours per week — the threshold at which the Affordable Care Act requires large employers with 50 or more workers to offer basic health benefits to employees or risk paying a $2,000 per employee fine after the first 30 workers.

Disney already offers a level of health coverage that is acceptable under Obamacare to its full-time employees. But part-time workers, including those who work at the 30-hour cutoff set by the health law, receive more limited benefits. Instead of rolling back these workers’ hours to avoid expanding their health coverage, Disney is choosing to promote them to full-time status.

“Disney wants to be proactive,” said Ed Chambers, president of the Service Trades Council union that represents tens of thousands of Orlando Disney employees, in an interview with Bloomberg News. “Disney is way out in front on this.”

That’s a striking departure from some retail and service sector firms that haveused Obamacare’s employee coverage requirement as an excuse to cut hours and benefits. While the vast majority of firms are not engaging in such tactics, high-profile stories about companies that do adopt that approach tend to dominate media coverage.

In fact, Disney’s decision tracks with a recent survey of chief financial officers at large American firms finding that American companies actually intend to increase their number of full-time employees by almost 2 percent over the next year, despite repeated claims by Obamacare critics that the reform law will create a part-time economy, discourage hiring, or encourage employers to roll back workers’ hours to avoid Obamacare.

Those claims have not borne out in reality. According to an analysis by Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) in July, just 0.6 percent of the American labor force worked between 26 and 29 hours per week in 2013 — the level of work that employers would be expected to roll back their workers’ hours to if they were trying to bypass Obamacare.

Furthermore, less than a third of workers say they are working less than 30 hours because of an employers’ decision, with most choosing to work a limited number of hours out of personal preference. That led CEPR researchers to conclude that the employment trend “is in the wrong direction for the ACA as job-killer story.”

http://thinkprogress.org/health/2013/10/02/2716951/disney-world-obamacare-promote-full-time/

 

[unkadug]

I foresee a closed thread very soon.

 

[Nubs70]

My wife got her shift differential and premiums eliminated because of ACA. This amounts to $12,000/yr.

 

[Megalodumb]

I foresee a closed thread very soon.

As long as people keep the focus off of politics & onto Disney's decision it should be fine. (Of course, I may be giving way too much credit to the members who post here to leave politics out of this). But we shall see.

 

[danlb_2000]

Call my cynical, but I doubt that Disney is doing this out of the goodness of their corporate heart. What benefit does Disney get from this?

 

[unkadug]

As long as people keep the focus off of politics & onto Disney's decision it should be fine. (Of course, I may be giving way too much credit to the members who post here to leave politics out of this). But we shall see.

The shutdown thread is already bordering on the brink.

 

[Hakunamatata]

As long as people keep the focus off of politics & onto Disney's decision it should be fine. (Of course, I may be giving way too much credit to the members who post here to leave politics out of this). But we shall see.

But the decision is political at its core.

 

[unkadug]

But the decision is political at its core.

The use of the term Obamacare is political in itself.

 

[Tigger1988]

This post managed to avoid the political aspect in its title. http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/more-wdw-employees-to-possibly-get-health-insurance.874629/

 

[danv3]

Call my cynical, but I doubt that Disney is doing this out of the goodness of their corporate heart. What benefit does Disney get from this?

My guess: Iger wants to run for office.

 

[unkadug]

My guess: Iger wants to run for office.

B.i.n.g.o.

 

[lunchbox1175]

B.i.n.g.o.

Well, I know one Fansite that won't be voting for him!

 

[raven]

427 employees? Out of over 67,000 that work for the company? Wow. That's less than 1 person per department/area. Can't say I'm surprised at how low that number is.

 

[Epicpilot]

Well this won't take long to derail...

 

[lazyboy97o]

I'm more inclined to believe these are 427 people who are protected somehow from having their hours cut to below 30 per week.

 

[Captain Neo]

Not sure why the the thread title was changed. I was merely using the same headline as the article and most people refer to the law as Obamacare wether they were for it or against it. It was not intented to be disrespectful or to insight people.

I'm also looking forward to proving the naysayers wrong. Hopefully this thread stays open while it runs it's course.

 

[Gabe1]

Not sure why the the thread title was changed. I was merely using the same headline as the article and most people refer to the law as Obamacare wether they were for it or against it. It was not intented to be disrespectful or to insight people.

With as much respect as I can muster up and I am not pulled one way or the other on this move by Disney until more info oozes out......you are not a naive member and seem too surprised the title was changed, nobody uses the phrase Obamacare when they are trying to be objective or not trying to force politics into a debate.

I'm also looking forward to proving the naysayers wrong. Hopefully this thread stays open while it runs it's course.

I too hope the thread stays open, 'cause like the GAC thread, more information oozed out as the thread went forward.

 

[Magenta Panther]

My guess: Iger wants to run for office.

He's an idiot if he actually tries to. All his opponents will have to do is reveal that he tried to sell Disneyland and he's toast.

 

[Matt_Black]

Call my cynical, but I doubt that Disney is doing this out of the goodness of their corporate heart. What benefit does Disney get from this?

Good publicity and free advertising.

 

[Megalodumb]

Good publicity and free advertising.

While it may look good in theory, I cannot see too many of the shareholders pleased by this decision.