NTU urges all Representatives to vote “YES” on H.R. 30, the “Save American Workers Act.” This legislation would repeal the flawed 30-hour definition of full-time employment established by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) and replace it with the more appropriate 40-hour standard.
Section 1513 of the President’s health care law stipulates that establishments with 50 or more full-time employees must provide those employees with health insurance or pay a fine. The law also redefines “full-time” as 30-hours, a serious departure from the 40-hour work week originally codified in the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938. The 40-hour work week is the typical definition of full-time across federal and state labor regulations, affecting everything from overtime to unemployment benefits.
PPACA’s current definition of part-time can cause employers to raise prices, lay off part-time workers, or implement other cost-cutting measures to stay under the 30-hour limit. For many employees who work multiple jobs, or choose to only work a limited number of hours, this has meant losing hours they needed to satisfy their financial circumstances. Already, many employers, especially those in the service industry, have cut workers’ hours in order to cope with the new guidelines. Harmonizing PPACA’s work-week definition with that already recognized by the Department of Labor would help both employers and employees.
Until additional protections and reforms are implemented, this bill would provide immediate, tangible relief to both businesses and workers, thereby preserving jobs and preventing unnecessary hardship.
Roll call votes on H.R. 30 will be included in NTU’s annual Rating of Congress and a “YES” vote will be considered the pro-taxpayer position.
If you have any questions, please contact NTU Federal Affairs Manager Nan Swift at (703) 683-5700