The Daily Beast reported last Friday that national retailer Hobby Lobby became the largest corporation to defy new Affordable Care Act regulations, after the Oklahoma-based chain announced that it would refuse to comply with requirements to provide employees with insurance coverage for emergency contraception. The company risks a $1.3-million fine per day.
On Dec. 26, Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who hears emergency appeals for the U.S. 10th Circuit, refused to block the new regulations which is part of the Affordable Care Act, ruling that Hobby Lobby must comply while it awaits a decision in federal court.
Hobby Lobby has 500 stores and over 13,000 employees. The Green family, who owns the chain, doesn’t object to preventive contraceptives, but doesn’t want to pay for Plan B contraceptives, commonly known as morning-after pills.
A worker at the Hobby Lobby in Pensacola wrote me defending the company, its above-the-local-wage starting pay and its benefits package:
Hi Mr Outzen, I so enjoy reading your blogs and posts! But I would like to gently disagree with your Hobby Lobby post from 12/29. You see I have worked for Hobby Lobby for 13 years and know the truth. Our benefits pkg which does include contraceptives is very generous. The only issue the Greens have is with the plan B “abortion” pill.
It’s really a shame that responsible journalists have not asked the employees how they feel!
I am a designer and could work anywhere but I chose Hobby Lobby because of the integrity of the Green family and because they are so generous to employees. Starting wage for FT is $13 an hour.
Thanks for all you do for our community and for taking the time to read this.