National grocery chain Whole Foods, which is owned by multibillion-dollar corporation Amazon, is cutting medical benefits for hundreds of part-time employees, Business Insider reported today. The decision, according to the company, is designed "to better meet the needs of our business and create a more equitable and efficient scheduling model," a Whole Foods spokesperson told BI.
[...] Whole Foods claims that the percentage of its workforce that'll be affected by the cost-cutting measure, and therefore no longer eligible to purchase employer-provided health care, is less than 2 percent. (That equates to nearly 2,000 people.) One affected employee, who's worked for Whole Foods for 15 years, told BI they were "in shock," as the company's benefits options were why they held on to the job.
Ironically:
Last month, Amazon joined a number of other tech companies and Fortune 500 firms in signing a letter outlining the purpose of a corporation as something not just designed to return shareholder value, but also to serve employees and the community. "Each of our stakeholders is essential," the pledge read. "We commit to deliver value to all of them, for the future success of our companies, our communities and our country."
(Score: 4, Informative) by ElizabethGreene on Tuesday September 17 2019, @04:51PM (1 child)
To be "full time" and eligible for benefits requires working 30 hours per week.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 18 2019, @04:15PM
Which is legislated. "The Affordable Care Act and the IRS define a full-time employee as one who works at least 30 hours a week or 130 hours a month on average." Companies used to do things like hire one person for two part time roles, and not provide insurance.