Huffington Magazine Issue 70 | Page 61

JEROME FAVRE/BLOOMBERG VIA GETTY IMAGES WITH LIBERTY AND LEISURE FOR ALL Time: The Forgotten American Dream, said he’s not a Republican but he liked the proposal a lot. “The argument for it is this would be a way to reward people with time rather than money,” Hunnicutt said. “There is this pent-up consumer demand for leisure that’s out there. I was for it. I thought it was a great bill.” Of course, Republicans are not interested in deliberately shortening the workweek. The Affordable Care Act, they say, is forcing some employers to cut hours in order to escape the law’s insurance mandate for full-time employees. “The Working Families Flexibil- HUFFINGTON 10.13.13 ity Act was designed to give moms and dads more choices as to how they balance their jobs and family time, and make it possible to better schedule doctor’s appointments and school events,” said Rory Cooper, a spokesman for House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.). “The biggest threat to the 40-hour workweek in America today is Obamacare, which is quickly transforming our full-time workforce into a part-time workforce given the extra costs now associated with giving hardworking employees more hours, and that is shameful.” But Obamacare may also give some new freedom to the overemployed. The Congressional Budget Office reported in 2011 that the Affordable Care Act would reduce In 2009, casino mogul Steve Wynn cut workers’ hours and pay rather than fire people.