Business & Tech

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'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.

Sign up for the free Hazelwood Patch newsletter and receive daily Hazelwood community news and updates on your favorite device.

Liberals are boycotting the organization for its stance and conservatives are pouncing down in support.

Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.

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.

Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.

"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."

"Like" Hazelwood Patch on Facebook and get connected to your neighbors for real-time news and updates, plus lively and active discussions and more.

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.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from Hazelwood