CEO lays off workers due to Obama reelection?
whygohome
Posts: 2,305
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/0 ... f=business
Las Vegas CEO Reportedly Fired 22 Workers Because Of Obama's Reelection
One Las Vegas CEO reportedly had an extreme reaction to President Obama's reelection.
“David,” whose full name and company have yet to be disclosed, told CBS Las Vegas that he fired 22 of his 114 employees as a direct result of Obama’s win, arguing that “elections have consequences” and that he needs “to survive.” CBS Las Vegas said “David” refused to identify himself for “obvious reasons.”
“I had to lay off 22 people today to make sure that my business is gonna thrive and I’m gonna be around for years to come,” the CEO said. “I have to build up that nest egg now for the taxes and regulations that are coming my way.”
The CEO would be among the first, if not the first outright, to fire workers as a direct result of Obama's reelection, a threat made many times before the presidential election. The new political push by employers was the result of both the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision, which made such declarations legal, and a June conference call in which Mitt Romney urged employers to tell their workers how they voted.
The company head, who described his workers as “mostly Hispanic,” said that he warned them about a month ago that if Obama won reelection, provisions like Obamacare and extra payroll taxes would force him to make certain considerations in order to keep his business running. Instead of firing workers, other companies, like Papa John's, said they would pass on the costs of Obamacare to consumers.
“David” is one of many CEOs that warned employees of consequences if Obama won reelection. Billionaire and Westgate Resort head David Siegel emailed a memo to his employees in the lead up to the election warning them to vote for Romney or else. But in the wake of Obama’s win, Siegel is saying that he gave all of his employees raises.
Some companies, like Wynn resorts, went even further by giving their employees voter guides. Peter Bos, CEO of real estate developer Legendary Inc., attached his filled-out election ballot, which included a vote for Romney, to his employees paychecks.
Las Vegas CEO Reportedly Fired 22 Workers Because Of Obama's Reelection
One Las Vegas CEO reportedly had an extreme reaction to President Obama's reelection.
“David,” whose full name and company have yet to be disclosed, told CBS Las Vegas that he fired 22 of his 114 employees as a direct result of Obama’s win, arguing that “elections have consequences” and that he needs “to survive.” CBS Las Vegas said “David” refused to identify himself for “obvious reasons.”
“I had to lay off 22 people today to make sure that my business is gonna thrive and I’m gonna be around for years to come,” the CEO said. “I have to build up that nest egg now for the taxes and regulations that are coming my way.”
The CEO would be among the first, if not the first outright, to fire workers as a direct result of Obama's reelection, a threat made many times before the presidential election. The new political push by employers was the result of both the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision, which made such declarations legal, and a June conference call in which Mitt Romney urged employers to tell their workers how they voted.
The company head, who described his workers as “mostly Hispanic,” said that he warned them about a month ago that if Obama won reelection, provisions like Obamacare and extra payroll taxes would force him to make certain considerations in order to keep his business running. Instead of firing workers, other companies, like Papa John's, said they would pass on the costs of Obamacare to consumers.
“David” is one of many CEOs that warned employees of consequences if Obama won reelection. Billionaire and Westgate Resort head David Siegel emailed a memo to his employees in the lead up to the election warning them to vote for Romney or else. But in the wake of Obama’s win, Siegel is saying that he gave all of his employees raises.
Some companies, like Wynn resorts, went even further by giving their employees voter guides. Peter Bos, CEO of real estate developer Legendary Inc., attached his filled-out election ballot, which included a vote for Romney, to his employees paychecks.
Post edited by Unknown User on
0
Comments
right now - major corporations have been sitting on a boatload of cash ... there is a feeling that most of these companies are going to reinvest overseas ... because they feel that the current administration is unfairly penalizing their "good" faith ...
Business is business if you try to have a heart in business it gets stomped on
broken in half and set on fire.
Most employees have no idea what it is like to run a company
and think it's easy peasy. Wish I was the boss I'd....
This administration certainly hasn't shown much appreciation of business,
big or small. And with the talk of higher taxes on all levels mixed with the truly
rotten economy and more people living off entitlements,
I think we can plan on seeing more fed up retaliation and some exit stage left.
Just making more unemployed and the deficit grow larger.
More struggling little guys with more unhappiness.
I wish everyone knew who the real bread and butter is,
it's business, before we're toast.
I think these CEOs and the like are full of shit. 93% of post-recession gains in 2011 went to the top 2%. On CNBC and Bloomberg there were an endless # of headlines over the years that read something like this: "Company XYZ posts record quarterly profits, lays off 3,000."
These people are the problem. People who make tens of millions complaining that the president doesn't like them. They sound and act like children.
The whole idea of Obama being anti-business or anti capitalist (among other criticisms) is so far removed form reality it is disturbing. These accusations have an IQ level of about 32.
I also feel bad for the 92 remaining employees who will have to pick up the work of the 22 that were axed... because his business didn't shrink by 20% starting Wednesday... did it? Are they going to get raises?
Hail, Hail!!!
Raises?!?!?!? Yeah right! It's funny to see that all these fuckbags use Obama as a scapegoat to cover up for their grotesque behavior.
That's why I asked... his business didn't shrink by 20% yesterday... did it? If there is still work to be done by 114 employees... now, 92 employees have to do the work of 114, right?
I mean, I can understand lay-offs in the case of diminishing workload... that's to be expected. Does he think 20% of the work is going to disappear because President Obama was re-elected? What is his business... making 'President Romney' stickers and hats?
Hail, Hail!!!
His business may actually expand in the coming months. I just don't get these people that pull shit like this.
Oh, Romney hats? No. They have factories in China for that.
I'm sure that "David" is a real person.
And... you'd think that one of these 22 employees would have come forward by now. Guess they're too busy demanding food or something.
Those lazy moochers.
really, would it have been any different had romney won and his tax plan had not been implemented and he could not get obamacare repealed?
this is sour grapes and nothing more. a rich fuck upset because he most likely gave millions to romney and he got nothing back on his "investment" and now he has to fire people to prove a point.
people like this, this sore loser, make me laugh.
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
I considered that too, but I think it might just be somebody who isn't the CEO of shit making that phone call. Even if he is a CEO, he didn't have to lay people off right after the election, it's trying to make a point at other people's expense. And of course sour grapes. Obamacare doesn't even go into effect until 2014 does it?
"..That's One Happy Fuckin Ghost.."
“..That came up on the Pillow Case...This is for the Greek, With Our Apologies.....”
Do you think this guy is in the top 2% with 114 employees? Now 92. Perhaps
49 and some contract labor next year or very part time non benefit workers.
:wtf: to fuckin stay afloat.
He is a small businessman. You guys make him out as a rich fuck.
Your anger is misplaced.
And everyone hates him though he has employed and been good to many many
people. We don't hear a kudos for that though. Typical.
Do any of you appreciate your jobs?
Your post does not apply to what I have said. While I was using this story as a starting point, I was ultimately addressing a larger problem.
And, the CEOs--who have done very well in recent years--who threatened workers with layoffs if Obama was reelected deserve all the vitriol they will receive.
In a country that talks about freedom and liberty so much, it is people like this who threaten it.
You can not compare him to the 2% and to do that is a real problem.
You didn't answer my question either... do you appreciate your job?
Because most jobs are provided by guys like this, struggling small businessmen
who went after a dream and in doing so provided for many.
People like this man? YES!!! People who lay off workers because of spite. People who send emails and letters to their employees to vote Romney or they will be fired.
My fucking god, I am NOT TALKING ABOUT SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS. I AM TALKING ABOUT PEOPLE WHO PRIDE THEMSELVES ON BEING SPITEFUL AND SELFISH.
End of conversation. You are simply misconstruing and misrepresenting what I am saying. You are 100% off.
Do I appreciate my job? Yes.
Do you own a business? no but you appreciate your job, does your boss appreciate you?
Could it be out of worry and struggle that these workers were laid off?
Or is your mind set on blaming the business owner...
it appears to me the latter but why?
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123561551065378405.html
Feb 2009
do we think this is right on?
Go CEO's, Go!!!
Obamacare Layoffs: Georgia Businessman Claims He Fired Workers Because Obama Won
WASHINGTON -- A man claiming to be a Georgia small business owner said he fired some employees and cut hours for others because of President Barack Obama’s reelection.
The man identified himself as Stu, without giving a last name, and said he owns a small aviation services company. He told C-SPAN’s Washington Journal that he “simply can’t afford” to run his business if he has to comply with the the Affordable Care Act.
“Yesterday I called all my part-time employees in and said because Obama won I was cutting their hours from 30 to 25 a week so i would not fall under the Obamacare mandate,” Stu, who said he is from Williamson, Ga., told C-SPAN.
Under the Affordable Health Care Act, businesses with more than 50 workers are required to provide health care coverage for full-time employees or those working more than 30 hours per week. Darden Restaurants, the parent company of Red Lobster and The Olive Garden, announced in October that it would test a plan that would boost the number of employees on part-time status in a handful of its markets.
“I had to lay two full-timers off to get under the 50-person cap,” Stu told C-SPAN. “I tried to make sure that the people I had to lay off voted for Obama.”
Firing workers based on political affiliation may land employers in hot water. "It's possible that employees could have some protection under various laws that exist," said Risa Lieberwitz, professor of labor and employment law at the Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations.
Federal law offers fines and imprisonment for anyone who "intimidates, threatens, coerces" someone "for the purpose of interfering with the right of such other person to vote or to vote as he may choose."
In the weeks leading up to the election, several employers sent notices to workers urging them to vote for Romney, or warning of potential problems if Obama won. Courts would have to determine whether such letters constitute "intimidation." The Supreme Court specifically protected employers' rights to distribute political information to workers in its Citizens United decision.
Retaliation for a vote may not qualify as intimidation. But employers who fire workers or cut their hours based on their vote could face additional legal threats from a few state and local laws, which specifically ban retaliating against employees based on their voting preferences.
"The best protection employees have is a collective bargaining agreement," Lieberwitz said, which require employers to have "just cause" to fire employees. Breaking the collective bargaining agreement would have legal consequences independent of federal and state laws. "A lesson for employees that comes out of these situations is how important it is for employees to unionize."
Stu isn’t the only business owner claiming he fired workers because of Obama’s reelection. “David,” a man who identified himself as a CEO, called a Las Vegas radio station Thursday and said he fired 22 workers because of Obama’s win.
Of course, one shouldn't extrapolate a trend from the rantings of anonymous callers. A survey of small business owners in October found that few would take drastic steps in response to the health care law. Instead, many said they would simply trim health care benefits.
The Obama administration has countered the Republican claim that health care reform is a "job killer," citing a study by the Urban Institute, which found that Obamacare would actually save small business owners money on insurance premiums.
David Siegel, the CEO of Westgate Resorts who infamously warned his workers about voting for Romney, actually handed out raises to his employees this week.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/0 ... f=business
With President Obama sticking around for another four years, Murray Energy Corp. CEO Robert Murray has entered “survival mode,” announcing Wednesday that more than 160 employees at various subsidiaries will be laid off, in part due to Obama-related regulations and taxes, WTOV reports.
Murray outlined his views in a letter to employees, which included theories including that a new carbon tax will subsidize Obama supporters and lead to the "total destruction of the coal industry," perhaps by 2030.
“Lord, please forgive me and anyone with me in Murray Energy Corp. for the decisions that we are now forced to make to preserve the very existence of any of the enterprises that you have helped us build,” Murray reported read aloud during a group prayer with staff members Wednesday, according to The Washington Post. “We ask for your guidance in this drastic time with the drastic decisions that will be made to have any hope of our survival as an American business enterprise.”
The full transcript of Murray’s prayer and letter to employees is available at the Wheeling Intelligencer.
Murray, who campaigned with and donated to Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney during the election season, drew criticism in August for allegedly requiring workers at an Ohio mine owned by the energy company to give up a day’s pay to attend a “mandatory” Romney campaign event. That incident, as well as allegations that he pressured employees to donate to the Romney campaign, led to the planning of an investigation by the Ohio Democratic Party.
Of course, a number of CEOs, Murray among them, publicly encouraged employee support for Romney before the election. Now Murray is among the smaller group of employers that have actually put their money where their mouths once were.
"Yeah, I had to fire people/reduce their hours because it was either that or provide them with healthcare."
Damn! That sure makes me hate... Obama.
coverage but most employers want to provide benefits to keep the cream of the crop.
So lower the workforce, still provide healthcare, farm work out to other service providers,
use contract laborers, put some employees on less than 30 hours per week.
Business does not have funds without limits. Its not like our government
that can just go print some more money without consequence.
Lines of credit are hard to get these days, collecting receivables down right scary.
There is not the base of strength that was there thanks to the terrible economy,
bankruptcies and the banking bailout.
Zane Tankel, Applebee's Franchisee, Says He Won't Hire Because Of Obamacare
An Applebee's New York area franchisee is the latest CEO to go public threatening drastic plans to avoid costs associated with the Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as Obamacare.
"We've calculated it will [cost] some millions of dollars across our system. So what does that say -- that says we won't build more restaurants. We won't hire more people," Zane Tankel, chairman and CEO of Apple-Metro, told Fox Business Network on Thursday.
Apple-Metro, which runs 40 Applebee's restaurants, employs from 80 to 300 people at each of its locations. Obamacare mandates that businesses with more than 50 workers must offer an approved insurance plan or pay a penalty of $2,000 for each full-time worker over 30 workers.
Most small businesses with 50 or more employees already do offer health insurance, notes John Arensmeyer, CEO and founder of Small Business Majority, a national small business advocacy organization. But restaurant chains typically are among the sliver of businesses not offering insurance to workers. Other food chains have commented publicly that they would take strong measures to avoid the effects of Obamacare, but so far none of them have taken that action.
Darden Restaurants, owner of Olive Garden and Red Lobster, said that it would increase the number of part-time workers to skirt the law, while Jimmy John Liautaud, founder of Jimmy John's Gourmet Sandwiches chain, also recently told Fox Business News that he is considering cutting workers' hours.
Applebee's owner Tankel wouldn't go so far as saying he would lay off current employees or cut their hours to keep them part-time rather than pay for their health care, but he did hint that those were distinct possibilities. "The model's been set. I am sure all our people are watching this right now so I don't want to make any commitments one way or another," he said. "I want to simply say we are looking at it, we are evaluating. If it's possible to do without cutting people back, I am delighted to do it, but that also rolls back expansion, it rolls back hiring more people, and in a best-case scenario, we only shrink the labor force minimally. Best case."
"We have to do that. There's no other way we can survive it, because we think it will cost us 50 cents a sandwich. That's just the actual cost," Liautaud said. "If you have 40 or 50 employees at a restaurant, and the penalty is $2,000, and you're going to pay $80,000 or $100,000 penalty, there goes the profit in your restaurant."
Tankel also felt he had little choice in what he called a "fragile environment" but to cut employees or their hours: "In this environment, you can't raise prices, particularly in our space. It's not possible. Efficiencies, hopefully we got all of our efficiencies. We've just faced three terrible years in the environment and the economy. We've been enforcing and putting more and more in every year. So then it's cut back on overhead."
Christine Eibner, senior economist at RAND Corp. who has analyzed health insurance costs for small businesses and studied the health care law, doesn't think cutting hours is the only option firms have. "They could, if they wanted, opt to provide health insurance to these individuals," Eibner told The Huffington Post in an email. "Most economists believe that -- one way or another -- the costs of the health insurance are ultimately born by workers, such as through reductions in wages or other benefits."
"The decision is complicated, and may depend on factors such as workers' eligibility for exchange subsidies, whether it is plausible to reduce wages or other benefits to cover health insurance costs, and worker preferences for wages versus health coverage," Eibner added. "The penalties for not having insurance will likely increase workers' relative preference for insurance over wages, which could push some firms toward offering."
The Huffington Post tried to reach Tankel and Liautaud for further explanation about their decisions and if and when they planned to act on them, but neither immediately responded to requests for comment.
Whether their comments were made publicly to sincerely express financial desperation or to simply attempt to tarnish Obamacare, Arensmeyer said it seems "counterproductive to criticize" the law at this point. "Now that the election is over, if there's any political motivation behind it, I'm not sure what the objective is," he said. "It's the law of the land, and there's no chance it's going to be repealed after the reelection of the president and the Supreme Court decision earlier this year, and we think it's time for all businesses to come together and figure out how to make this work."
The furor over Obamacare has come with a price. Arensmeyer said the organization's polling and outreach shows business leaders' understanding of the law is "very poor, and that's because of all the negative noise and the lack of focus on the facts. This has been highly politicized, and there has been a lot more heat than light shown on this whole issue over the last two and a half years," he said. "There has been way too much effort spent criticizing it and way too little effort figuring out how to make it work and getting it implemented."
to keep afloat. What is happening to them and their employees.
You are considering they can not afford to give coverage, yes?
that the law states they must or pay penalties.
With each employee laid off comes more tax added to both Futa and
Suta. This has skyrocketed for small business due to massive layoffs.
While employees have enjoyed less SS and Med tax the past few years
employers who must match have remained at the higher rate.
Add in Local taxes, State taxes, Federal taxes, in an economy like this
businesses do not need more taxes they need less :fp:
This is Obama for you. Don't tell me he cares about my business...
I didn't even build it remember
on a roller coaster of political and economic tides.
Was I hoping for a different tide yes I was. Though I did not give my vote to Romney.
Or you could just charge $0.01 more for your fucking shitty meals that contribute massively to the obesity rate which in turn causes healthcare cost to sky rocket for everyone.