Office supply retail chain Staples reacted this morning to comments from President Obama in response to the company reportedly cutting part-time hours and threatening to fire workers who worked more than 25 hours.
During an interview with Buzzfeed, Obama appeared upset with reports that some in the company were blaming Obamacare for the strict hour restrictions.
“[W]hen I hear large corporations that make billions of dollars in profits trying to blame our interest in providing health insurance as an excuse for cutting back workers’ wages, shame on them,” he said.
But Obama’s characterization of the company did not sit well with the company that provides thousands of jobs to Americans.
“Unfortunately, the president appears not to have all the facts,” Mark Cautela Sr., the Public Relations Manager for Staples said in a statement to Breitbart News. “The initial story was misleading as our policy regarding part-time employees is more than a decade old. It predates the Affordable Care Act by several years.”
Cautela asserted that the company offered competitive wages in the retail business and offered good benefits for company employees.
“We are very proud of our associates and offer competitive wages and benefits,” he said. “Staples is a leader in helping associates build a secure future.”
Cautela reminded the president that Staples was recently recognized by U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew for helping employees plan for retirement.
“Staples also offers many opportunities for hourly associates to advance into full-time and management positions,” he added. “It’s unfortunate that the president is attacking a company that provides more than 85,000 jobs and is a major tax payer.”
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