|
Townhall
Thank
you, Hobby Lobby
Michelle
Malkin
Nov
27, 2013
Religious
liberty is front and center on the nation's Thanksgiving table. On
Tuesday, the Supreme Court agreed to hear Sebelius v. Hobby Lobby
Stores Inc. The family-owned craft store company is intrepidly
challenging the constitutionality of Obamacare's abortion coverage
mandate. Hobby Lobby's faithful owners deserve our thanks and praise
as they defend freedom of conscience for all Americans.
The
privately held retail chain's story is the quintessential American
Dream. Founder David Green started out making mini picture frames in
his Oklahoma garage in 1970. He recruited his two sons, Mart and
Steve, to pitch in at an early age. The family's first establishment
took up a tiny 300 square feet of retail space. Hobby Lobby now runs
nearly 600 stores across the country, employs 13,000 people and
topped $2 billion in sales in 2009.
The
Greens' Christian faith is at the heart of how they do business. They
are dedicated to integrity and service for their customers and their
employees. The debt-free company commits to "honoring the Lord
in all we do by operating the company in a manner consistent with
biblical principles," as well as "serving our employees and
their families by establishing a work environment and company
policies that build character, strengthen individuals and nurture
families."
The
company donates more than 10 percent of its income every year to
charity. All stores are closed on Sundays to allow employees more
family and worship time. It's the company's dedication to biblical
principles that led Hobby Lobby in April to raise full-time
employees' starting minimum wage to $14 an hour at a time when many
other firms have been forced to slash both wages and benefits.
"We
believe that it is by God's grace that Hobby Lobby has endured, and
he has blessed us and our employees," CEO David Green pointed
out. "We've not only added jobs in a weak economy; we've raised
wages for the past four years in a row. Our full-time employees start
at 80 percent above minimum wage."
Many
of Hobby Lobby's employees are single moms working two jobs. Green
doesn't need federal mandates to tell him how to treat and retain
good employees. He does it because it is the "right thing to
do." While countless businesses have been forced to drop health
insurance for their shrinking workforces during the Age of Obama,
Hobby Lobby headquarters opened an onsite comprehensive health care
and wellness clinic in 2010 with no co-pays...
Read
the rest of the article at Townhall
|
