Fitzpatrick: Stop Cutting Worker’s Hours

A press release submitted by Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick. 

Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick (PA-8) joined the House Thursday in passing the bipartisan Save American Workers Act [H.R. 2575] which would increase employee paychecks and hours by restoring the 40-hour ‘full time’ definition which was changed by the president’s healthcare law.

“Everyone outside of Washington knows that ‘full time’ means 40-hours – only federal bureaucrats would try and redefine a commonly understood fact that is critical to millions of workers and employers nationwide,” said Fitzpatrick on the House floor earlier in the week (watch). “By moving the goalposts on what actually constitutes full time employment, this Administration fundamentally changed the workplace for hourly workers – increasing risk for lost hours and smaller paychecks as employers struggle to deal with the law’s provisions.”

Studies show that over 2.6 million Americans – primarily the young, women, low-income earners and those without a college degrees – are especially at risk of having their hours and wages cut as a result of the 30-hour rule. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) reports that passing the Save American Workers Act would increase wages for workers by $75 billion and let small businesses focus their resources on hiring more workers and growing their business by drastically reducing tax burdens found inside the healthcare law.

“By shifting the definition of full-time to 30-hours, the administration is adding another level of confusion to small businesses and their employees already struggling in this economy,” said Fitzpatrick following the vote. “With more than 70% of small businesses saying the healthcare law makes it harder to hire – and half saying they will either cut hours or replace full-time employees with part-time employees to avoid the employer mandate – Congress needs to come together and work and ease the squeeze on working families by restoring the 40-hour work week.”

“[The law’s] definition of full-time is counter to the traditional 40-hours of service threshold that most American businesses use to define full-time for benefits and other purposes. Implementing this new definition will require most businesses to change both their policies and their practices,” wrote the Small Business Coalition for Affordable Healthcare – a group representing organizations like the National Retail Federation, Small Business Council of America, and Association for Manufacturing Technology (letter attached). “Without H.R. 2575, employers will face higher employer mandate penalty taxes, and employees will see reduced hours and take home pay. The Coalition urges all Members of the U.S. House of Representatives to support H.R. 2575.”

James Hoffa, president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, has said the 30-hour rule will “destroy the foundation of the 40-hour work week that is the backbone of the American middle class.” Employer groups, including the National Federation of Independent Business, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, National Retail Federation and International Franchise Association have called the rule a major obstacle in job creation and have called for its repeal.