Obamacare Not On the Menu at Papa John's, Owner's Stance Spurs Dueling Protests
Papa John's says it will slice employee hours and boost product prices to pay for Affordable Care Act costs. People on both sides are up-in-arms. Will you buy or boycott?
“Papa” John Schnatter poses with large pizzas and “4,000” spelled out in pepperoni commemorating the opening of the 4,000th location of his pizza chain in New Hyde Park on Sept. 14, 2012.
Courtesy Papa John’s Pizza
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Papa John's owner John Schnatter's announcement that he would raise prices and slice employee hours to pay for costs associated with the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, has sparked a heafty debate.
Liberals are boycotting the organization for its stance and conservatives are pouncing down in support.
One might say chicken sandwhiches and pizzas have more in common than some might think.
As liberals began organizing boycotts of the pizza chain, Papa John's supporters created a Facebook page to promote National Papa John's Appreciation Day.
"Papa Johns has been targeted by the left for a boycott, for simply articulating that ObamaCare would hurt profits and force cutbacks in employee hours," the Facebook page says. "Stand up to this nonsensical and illogical action and support Papa John's this Friday."
Hoping to replicate the success of Chick-fil-A after it was boycotted regarding the founder's stance on gay rights, conservatives are full steam ahead after the pro-pizza day.
The pro-Papa event is reminiscent of Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day, which saw droves of people nationwide patronize the fast-food chain after its CEO came under fire for criticizing gay marriage.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the pepperoni fence, anti-Papa forces have urged people to switch to local pizza joints this week.
"Papa John's owner has decided to combat the Affordable Healthcare Act by increasing his prices, threatening terminations and lowering employee hours - simply to avoid and protest employee health benefits," said one pro-boycott invitation.
Papa John's will see a 0.4 to 0.7 percent increase in healthcare costs for employees working 30 or more hours a week under the new law, according to Forbes.com.
Will you buy or boycott Papa John's? Tell us your stance in the comments section.
nobamacare
12:02 pm on Saturday, November 17, 2012
I had never been to Papa John's but was happy to support them on Friday with my first pizza purchase. Quite crowded with other patrons sympathetic to small business owners victimized by onerous obamacare mauling. Very cordial staff at my local Papa John's, I'll go back today and try their popular chicken sandwich. Thanks lefties for directing me to Papa Johns !
Equality smiles down on you
5:28 pm on Saturday, November 17, 2012
i hope that you continue to eat pizza every day, it should completely clog the rest of your already clogged thinking, a great way to reduce all health care cost!
Smarter Than That
12:45 pm on Saturday, November 17, 2012
S T U P I D . . , but for the grace of God you could be the employee whose employer does not care if you have healthcare. You could be the one who gets your hours cut so that he does not have to cover you. Know this stupid your boss and his family will be covered. Trust that! So what will you do when you need to go into the hospital or your child? I'm sure if you are an employee you're not making the best of salaries. So that puts u in a class to receive substandard healthcare because your boss didn't care to cover you! WAKE UP!! This is what the world has come to. White money rules but if you're white and broke you don't count! Now Obama didn't invent that, what he did do was to try to make sure everyone regardless of status, has healthcare. So what don't you get? Are you just thick?
Getajob!buyyourowninsurance!
1:56 pm on Saturday, November 17, 2012
Bullshit! You want health insurance work!! Sick of supporting those who expect something for nothing.
Karen McGrew
6:08 pm on Saturday, November 17, 2012
My family is boycotting Papa Johns Pizza. We will buy our pizza from a local restaurant that does provide health insurance to its employees. Papa Johns employees do work !! We have been paying for the unpaid hospital bills of Papa Johns workers so that their CEOs can get away with paying low wages and no benefits. No more!
Tailor Meade
7:29 pm on Saturday, November 17, 2012
Boycott a corporation? I'm game.
disapointedamerican
8:43 pm on Saturday, November 17, 2012
For you that don't know each Papa John's is owned by a individual who only makes about $21k a year. Obamacare would add $2000 in expenses to each owner. So overall it would cost that owner the money and then that individual would only make $19k!! It's not that they don't want their employees to have health care it's that it should be so freakin expense to small business owners!!! Oh and for the most of you that voted for that man and make under $32k a year (which I fall into) say goodbye to earned income tax credit!!! So this next year instead of getting back my $4000 I may barely get back $1000!!! All I can say is Obamacare might be a great concept but what must we loss to get it?
Get Real
9:49 pm on Saturday, November 17, 2012
the only reason that poopa johns owner makes so little is so that he doesn't have to pay taxes. the dude is rolling in the dough, literally. stop being so ignorant.
sharon Schiller
8:05 am on Monday, November 19, 2012
Experience once not having health care and you will change your mind. Have a child that has an on going condiition and not have health care like asthma, ADD etc. Those scripts are very expensive. Why do you think Walgreens take care clinics are so popular. All the scare tatics that people use for standarized health care is just that scare tatics. You won't have to wait a year for bypass etc. Talk to someone from Canada or Great Britian they will tell you how they have fantastic health care and no insurance companies involved. I was told at lunch two weeks ago from a British mfg'er that lobbyist would be in prison there. There are no lobbyist in European countries. That is one of our big problems in the United States is the amount of money that is used to buy votes. The owner of Papa Johns was able to afford to pay to redo the University of Louisville football stadium so he has plenty of money. I don't like their pizza and will never eat it. Look at your history. People didn't want Medicare for seniors what would you do without it now?