Perspective: NFIB seeks restoration of 40-hour workweek

The U.S. House of Representatives recently voted to repeal part of the Affordable Care Act which has had consequences that even the law's strongest supporters could not have intended.

The provision, which defines full-time work as 30 hours per week, was designed as a way to require employers to offer health coverage to more workers. The result, however, is fewer hours and smaller paychecks for employees whose companies can't afford to offer the benefit.

My association, the National Federation of Independent Business, has argued for years that short of repealing the Affordable Care Act, Congress and the president should at least jettison that provision.

Americans may not realize that while 40 hours is the traditional standard, it's never been codified in law for the purpose of mandating benefits. That's for good reason. Previous congresses have understood that doing so would erode the incentive for businesses to hire full-time workers.

According to the government's own data, the 30-hour work week may indeed be killing full-time jobs. The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) finds that there are nearly 7 million Americans working part-time who would rather have a full-time job. That's a historic high.

And according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, the ratio of part-time workers who would rather have a full-time job to the population remains elevated, suggesting the rise of a part-time workforce. In November, according to BLS, the number of full-time workers dropped by 150,000 while the number of part-time jobs increased by 77,000.

Statisticians aren't the only ones who've noticed. Even labor unions, which strongly supported the ACA, have warned of the unintended consequences.

In a 2013 letter to congressional leaders, three of the country's biggest unions predicted that it would "shatter not only our hard-earned health benefits, but destroy the foundation of the 40-hour work week that is the backbone of the middle class."

Responding to the growing evidence that the ACA is killing full-time jobs, former Speaker Nancy Pelosi argued that Americans who are suddenly working less are somehow "liberated" to pursue their passions or do other things.

That notwithstanding, most Americans on the lower and middle rungs of the ladder want to work more, not less. They have a much more practical appreciation for full-time jobs as a way to feed their families, establish careers, educate their kids and build personal financial security.

The Affordable Care Act remains unpopular not because it's misunderstood but because Americans understand it much better now. Despite its lofty goals the law is failing in the most basic and important ways. Among them is the heavy toll it is taking on most Americans to whom full-time work is not a burden, but an ambition.

The House has already acted and the new Senate leadership promised to bring up measure soon. While the bill has bipartisan support (it has two Democratic co-sponsors), the question is whether there will be enough votes to send it to the president's desk.

That's why NFIB/Missouri is urging our U.S. senators to support the measure. NFIB research shows Obamacare is hitting small business especially hard and, while the law needs major reforms, returning to the traditional definition of full-time work is an important place to start.

Brad Jones is Missouri director for the National Federation of Independent Business, the state's leading small-business association. He lives in Jefferson City.