Hobby Lobby is closing all stores and furloughing 'nearly all' employees (without pay)

[UpInArms]

Source: Business Insider

After quietly reopening stores across the country in defiance of coronavirus-related state lockdown orders, Hobby Lobby is closing all stores nationally and furloughing employees.

In a statement posted on the company website on Friday afternoon, Hobby Lobby announced it would furlough "nearly all store employees" and would be "ending emergency leave pay and suspending use of company provided paid time off benefits and vacation."

"As the country continues efforts to manage and mitigate the devastating health and economic impacts of the COVID-19 virus, Hobby Lobby will, after careful consideration, close the remainder of its stores, and furlough nearly all store employees and a large portion of corporate and distribution employees, effective Friday, April 3rd, at 8:00 p.m.," Hobby Lobby posted on its website. "The stores will remain closed until further notice."

According to two employees, each speaking on the condition of anonymity for fear of retribution but whose employment status and identities were confirmed by Business Insider, managers at their stores called teams into a meeting to deliver the news on Friday afternoon. During the meetings, they were told the furlough would impact all workers below management level and would be expected to run through at least May 1.

Read more: https://www.businessinsider.com/hobby-lobby-closing-stores-furlough-nearly-all-employees-without-pay-2020-4?amp

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Full title:

Hobby Lobby is closing all stores and furloughing 'nearly all' employees after it defied stay-at-home orders by quietly reopening locations around the nation

[pnwest]

1. "after careful consideration" of the damn lawsuit bring brought by the state AG...

[ResistantAmerican17]

2. Pseudo Christian frauds

Fuck that company. I’ve despised them for years, hate them now. Dollars to crucifixes those charlatans will be at the front of line for that bailout money though! I repeat——FUCK those clowns.

[Rebl2]

22. Haven't shopped there

in years because of owners right wing religious views and love of trump.

[TheBlackAdder]

39. I wonder if Fundie Books-A-Million did the same thing.

[earthside]

3. The Green family must be pretty upset.

God is clearly not in control.

So, they are going to take it out on their employees.

"The line our manager gave us was, 'The employees got what the employees wanted; the stores were closed,'" the Indiana employee said in an interview shortly after he learned of the furlough. "My question was, 'Did God tell them they needed to close the stores and not pay us?'"

[GeorgeGist]

4. Did God tell Barbara it was OK?

[not fooled]

17. My thought exactly

why didn't God tell them the artifacts were fakes?????

[rzemanfl]

26. Nah, the devil made them do it.

[Firestorm49]

5. Well, praise the Lord.

[NotHardly]

6. Corporations are people too... just very very evil people...

[Beartracks]

7. Feelin bad for the employees, but their management should have known better. n/t

[beachbumbob]

8. it is not a "furlough", its a layoff

[Steelrolled]

37. In my experience

furlough means you stay on the company's roll as an employee. But it still allows you to collect unemployment.

[Grokenstein]

9. "Look what you made me do!!"

If they can't make a buck while playing 'the defiant persecuted', then they have no other choice but to kick their servants into the ditch to die! IT'S IN REVELATIONS, PEOPLE!!

[TexasBushwhacker]

10. Green is worth over $6 Billion

The least he could do is pay employees for their accrued vacation and sick leave.

[bluestarone]

11. Will Hobby Lobby get MONEY from the Stimulus package?

If employees are furloughed, will Hobby Lobby. get a bunch of money? I almost bet they will!!

[Igel]

40. If they apply and get the

pass-through money, they could pay their employees.

That supposedly has mechanisms in place to prevent skimming. Might even require a subsidy by businesses in the form of the employer portion of the payroll taxes.

[Bengus81]

42. Don't forget the Trump 14% tax cut they've already had for years...........

[mitch96]

12. Don't worry, god will provide...........

aka, I got mine...fuck you..
m

[howardmappel]

13. Billionaires

You know, billionaires didn't become billionaires by being generous, or even fair, to the little people. Besides, I'm sure the Greens (Hobby Lobby owners) prayed and decided this is what Jae ey sus would do.

[Lonestarblue]

14. Green is the "Christian" who knowingly bought looted Iraqi antiquities.

After the US attack, museums were raided and Green bought thousands of items. Anyone who bought something “suddenly” found in Iraq would have known they were stolen. He is just as corrupt as every other Republican. I hope he loses all his millions, no doubt gained at other people’s expense.

[keithbvadu2]

16. Christianity and the Bible honored, enhanced, exemplified, glorified and displayed by theft and frau

Christianity and the Bible honored, enhanced, exemplified, glorified and displayed by theft and fraud by the Hobby Lobby Museum..

[Maeve]

28. FWIW, I understand a fair amount of what he bought were fakes

Seems right and proper....

[MyOwnPeace]

33. Here's a hint:

Jesus looked at him and said, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of heaven! Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 19:16)

Oh, and "benefits?" Don't forget, H-L fought to not have to "pay for abortions" because of their "religious beliefs."

[msongs]

18. rich people don't get into heaven. his future is destined nt

[TNNurse]

19. Nothing Christian in their actions.

Which is how you know.

[jeffreyi]

20. They gotta save $$ so they can buy more fake dead sea scrolls.

[UpInArms]

21. Flashback to 2018 - Hobby Lobby's Smuggled Artifacts Will Be Returned To Iraq

Nearly 4,000 ill-gotten artifacts will be returned to Iraq on Wednesday, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement says. The ancient objects were bought by Hobby Lobby, a national chain of arts and crafts stores, then smuggled into the United States in violation of federal law.

The Oklahoma-based chain of retail stores bought more than 5,500 objects from dealers in the United Arab Emirates and Israel in 2010, said the Department of Justice in a July 2017 document. The purchase was made months after the company was advised by an expert to use caution.

An "expert on cultural property law" had warned Hobby Lobby that artifacts from Iraq, including cuneiform tablets and cylinder seals, could be stolen from archaeological sites. The expert also told the company to search its collections for objects of Iraqi origin and make sure that those materials were properly identified. But despite that warning Hobby Lobby arranged to purchase thousands of antiquities — including cuneiform tablets and bricks, clay bullae and cylinder seals — for $1.6 million.

More at

https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/05/01/607582135/hobby-lobbys-smuggled-artifacts-will-be-returned-to-iraq

[MarcA]

23. Authoritarian Sociopaths who want to own everything and everyone and

they like to put on a phony religious show. Support businesses and co-ops that are humane.

[Drum]

24. Lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas

[jmowreader]

25. Sorry guys, I just gotta...

https://www.beliefnet.com/news/2003/09/the-gospel-of-supply-side-jesus.aspx

[nilram]

31. Excellent. Thanks.

My very Christian sister said, in our family chat, about her local area:

They are just starting to look at the homeless.
In my social worker opinion - they should do nothing, let the virus loose then deal with housing the survivors.

Nobody responded but I thought about replying:
“Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back.”

[Igel]

41. Most people who say that kind of thing

use it mostly as a cudgel.

Somebody steals their car, they object. Strenuously.

Not all. Mostly.

[nilram]

43. Yup, funny I hadn't remembered that part.

so, yeah, I didn’t send it. I’m just saddened by her lack of compassion. So I try to have compassion for her as well.

[aeromanKC]

27. Employees should get Corona unemployment

And of course management will get some of that five hundred billion that Mnuchin will distribute.

[Initech]

29. Maybe we can convert their stores into makeshift hospitals.

We'll need the space. And the shelves will be good for housing medical equipment.

[madaboutharry]

30. Did Jesus visit Miss Barbara in a new dream?

These charlatans and religious frauds have ruined the country.

[nilram]

32. Can't believe NO PTO, NO Vacation time!

Yeah, it’s legal in a lot of states, but is it kind? Is it moral? Is it ethical? I hope the people in his markets remember the extreme middle finger that this is.

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

34. WWJS? "Who Would Jesus Screw-over?"

Apparently people who work for a couple who profess to be "born-again."

[area51]

35. Isn't that special?

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

36. Gawd must have told them it was okay

[kacekwl]

38. Amen,

assholes.