Last week Trader Joe’s announced it would drop employees working under 30 hours a week from health insurance coverage, counting on the public health care exchange to pick up the cost of covering its workers. This low-road labor strategy will shift the cost of providing health
coverage to their workers to public institutions in the form of medical entitlement programs, the state health care exchange and public health programs. Essentially, tax-payers will pick up the tab. Trader Joe’s joins Home Depot in announcing they plan to exploit loopholes in the Affordable Care Act by cutting part-time worker coverage. The employer mandate under the Affordable Care Act was supposed to go into effect this year; however the Obama administration delayed its implementation to give employers more time to come into conformity with new IRS rules. Rather than seeking ways to meet the requirements many corporations, especially those in the low wage food service, grocery and retail sector, are instead finding new ways to get around the law. Here is the bad
news for the Puget Sound region. Trader Joess is not the only employer in the region cutting off access to health care for low wage workers. Recent negotiations between the region’s United Food and Commercial Workers union (Locals 21 and 367) and the large national grocery chains (Safeway, Kroger and Albertsons) have seen proposals by the grocery retail industry to cut employer
based health care for any workers who fall below the 30 hour full-time threshold. But cutting health coverage for employees below the federal 30 hours/week requirement is just one move in a series retail chains have designed to shift the cost of covering their workers onto taxpayers. Recent Puget Sound Sage research has found that: In addition, next week Puget Sound Sage will be releasing a policy briefing showing how grocery and retail
supercenters are forcing their workers to work without pay and off-the-clock. Oct 13, 2022 Former Crew Member in Danbury, CT, Connecticut great health insurance, vision and dental What Trader Joe's employees are sayingOct 12, 2022 Former Retail Sales Associate in Scottsdale, AZ, Arizona When I left, you had to work 32 hours average, every 6 months, to get the health benefits and pension plan. Fall below this at all, even if it's because you're out sick, and you lose it. Oct 9, 2022 Former Crew Member in Miami, FL, Florida Best is the 20% off literally anything in the store Worst is the waiting period to be insured/based on how many hours you put in every enrollment period. You will wait at least 4 months before you see any insurance. Be very mindful of this! See all Trader Joe's Benefits 533 employees reported this benefit Available to US-based employees Change location Employer SummaryMedical and vision coverage are available to eligible Trader Joe's employees. Employee CommentsShowing 1–10 of 107 Sep 20, 2022 Great and affordable copay, typically starts after 3 months Aug 10, 2022 Current Crew Member in nullnull It covers so many different things Jul 19, 2022 Great health plan at a good price Jul 18, 2022 Former Sales Associate in nullnull you have to work at least 35 hours per week May 24, 2022 Current Crew Member in Phila, PA, Pennsylvania great coverage, but you can loose it easily Mar 3, 2022 An insurance rep on the phone once told me that TJ's insurance was better than her insurance *through* the same insurance company. Jan 26, 2022 Current Cashier and Crew Member in Denver, CO, Colorado Good overall but declines yearly Jan 1, 2022 Current Crew Member in Nashville, TN, Tennessee Good if you meet the hours and actually get health insurance Dec 21, 2021 Prices have increased but overall it's pretty good and lots of coverage Dec 13, 2021 Current Assistant Manager in Foxborough, MA, Massachusetts Very affordable and really good coverage.
Viewing 1 - 10 of 107 Reviews Related BenefitsDoes Trader Joe's offer benefits to partYes, all benefits at Trader Joe's are extended to both permanent and part-time employees. However, they need to work for at least 13 hours a week to be eligible for some, for instance, the 401k.
Does Trader Joe's have health insurance?We offer exceptional medical, dental and vision plans to eligible Crew Members. Trader Joe's covers a significant portion of the cost with Crew Member contributions as low as $25/month This coverage is another example of Trader Joe's dedication to its crew members.
How many hours work at Trader Joes to get benefits?It's a 700 hours a year eligibility level, which is about 14 hours a week or a couple shifts, two shifts, a week. The company contributes, totally company funded contribution for those crew members. And last year, calendar year 2021, Trader Joe's contributed more than $100M into the crew retirement program.
What benefits do you get working at Trader Joe's?Employees receive a competitive benefits package covering health, dental and vision care. Employees pay only a small premium with Trader Joe's paying the rest. Employees also receive paid time off and there's also nothing like a good discount to keep your employees motivated.
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