ACC cuts hours for some to avoid healthcare law

I actually watched some local news this evening and caught this lovely story.

ACC is Austin Community College, here in central Texas. ACC. Is comprised of 10 campuses, an eleventh opening in the fall of 2014; Highland business center & and service center which serves as the district's headquarters and various admin offices; several off-site locations; and 9 centers which also hold classes and services:

The centers provide an entry into higher education and career advancement at selected high schools and community sites. All courses and faculty meet the same standards as those on ACC campuses.

ACC isn't your standard community college, as it basically serves as a breeding ground for UT. It continues to grow and expand.

But that's not stopping them from screwing a good number of their employees (including professors) to avoid Obamacare costs. Today a memo went out informing adjunct employees that they:

will not be able to work more than 28 hours a week and will not be eligible for health insurance benefits from the tax-supported district.

Hourly employees were told:

Hourly employees will comply with the Administrative Rule that hourly employees may not work more than 19 hours per week for the academic year.

This is much of the same, as there have been plenty of other employers bailing on their employees.

It turns ACC isn't quite sure how they will calculate their employees' hours:

ACC will have to cover the health insurance for adjuncts who work the equivalent of thirty hours a week or more. However, determining how this is calculated is complicated. The summer will not factor in and neither will teaching at multiple state colleges, universities, or ISDs. Gerry Tucker indicates the administration will be meeting to consider how to count teaching as the equivalent to working 30 hours. Currently, the administration is looking into the way TRS calculates the work week.

The ACA will be problematic for adjuncts with hourly jobs on campus because their hours will be added to their teaching loads. Because of this, Tucker says that adjunct/tutors working in the Learning Labs will most likely be held to new rules regarding hourly employment.

Hopefully they don't underestimate the time employees actually spend on campus with the "calculations" but I'm sure they'll do whatever saves ACC money in the end.

People have to pay higher prices for health insurance or go without and pay a penalty, while their hours/incomes get cut. Another win for insurance companies!

Source
Source #2
ACC.edu

reply to post by six67seven


How anyone can still support this job-wrecking law is beyond me.

Obamacare is going to ruin more lives, more careers than meth!

reply to post by six67seven


They are not "screwing" anyone. They are doing what they need to do in order to survive as an institution. Blame Obamacare, and the ones responsible for it, which caused the problem, not the solution to their problem which was forced upon them.

reply to post by beezzer


I hear ya, the ACC employees do too (now)

You're preaching to the choir.

I just shake my head at the fact that employers can do whatever they need to, to avoid obamacare, but us individuals are stuck with it, and if we refuse it, we get FINED (or TAXED). I mean, shouldn't there be a law protecting the individual against this sort of practice?? I know, I know... I'm dreaming

six67seven
reply to post by beezzer

 

I hear ya, the ACC employees do too (now)

You're preaching to the choir.

I just shake my head at the fact that employers can do whatever they need to, to avoid obamacare, but us individuals are stuck with it, and if we refuse it, we get FINED (or TAXED). I mean, shouldn't there be a law protecting the individual against this sort of practice?? I know, I know... I'm dreaming

A law to protect us from the Obamacare Law.

Oh lord.

reply to post by six67seven


If they think they can take hourly employees and start working them also in a "contract" status, they are wrong. It won't work like that. The risk will eat them alive if they are dumb enough to try that.

The issue here is that insurance prices have increased substatially, and they want to thin the herd for who is buying into the plan. It will only drive their premiums higher. Dumb strategy.

Meanwhile, in our company we had an all time high of people choosing voluntary elections like AD&D for the family.