(Washington, D.C.) The More Time for Full Time initiative, which represents hundreds of thousands of employers and tens of millions of employees, sent a letter to the Senate in support of S. 30, the 40 Hours is Full Time Act of 2015, which moves to restore the definition of a full-time workweek to the traditional standard of 40 hours under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee Chairman, Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN), introduced the letter for the record at a Committee hearing, "Examining Job-Based Health Insurance & Defining Full Time Work."
In their letter, the initiative which includes the National Restaurant Association, the International Franchise Association, the American Hotel & Lodging Association, the National Retail Federation, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the American Rental Association, the Asian American Hotel Owners Association, the National Association of Convenience Stores, the National Grocers Association, National Association of Theatre Owners, and the Society for Human Resource Management highlighted the negative impact the 30-hour work week definition in the ACA has on employees and employers.
"Many Americans are drawn to part-time jobs with flexible hours to suit their personal needs. Further, employers with variable-hour workforces and flexible scheduling have been appealing and critical for students, single parents, and other individuals struggling to balance various obligations and commitments. This critical flexibility will be lost if employers are forced to abandon current practices in order to avoid significant financial penalties."