The GOP Bill to Define the 40-Hour Work Week Explained

The GOP Bill to Define the 40-Hour Work Week Explained

By Leigh Ann Caldwell at NBC News

http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/gop-bill-define-40-hour-work-week-explained-n282481

"SNIP.....................


One of the top items of business for House Republicans in the new Congress successfully passed Thursday. It would redefine the work week from 30 hours to 40 hours. No, it's not an attempt to get you to work more, but it is an attempt to cut a significant part of the Affordable Care Act.

What would the bill do?

It's called the Save American Workers Act of 2015 and it would require the work week to be defined as 40 hours rather than 30, which is mandated under the Affordable Care Act.

Why would it do that?

It would gut the employer mandate, which is a controversial part of the ACA. Employers would only be required to provide health benefits for workers
who work 40 hours or more per week. Employers would then be able to give full-time workers 39 hours of work - nearly a full work week that would not hurt employee output - and avoid providing health insurance to the employee, which is required under the ACA. It's much more difficult to cut a full-time worker's hours to 29 hours to avoid providing health care.

Supporters, however, argue that the measure would actually preserve full-time work, pointing to anecdotal stories of employers hiring more part-time workers to avoid providing health coverage.





.......................SNIP"