Michelin North America, Inc.: Stop penalizing your fat employees!

The Issue

Employees with a waist size of >40 inches for men or >35 inches for women will have to pay an additional $1,000 per year in insurance premiums. This is a de facto pay cut for fat people who don't go on a diet. This is an abuse of corporate power and we will not purchase Michelin Tires until this practice ends.

Click here to learn more about the flawed nature of using waist circumference to judge a person's weight and health.

And if you think this is an unfair way to treat your employees, please sign our CVS Pharmacy petition as well.

This petition had 1,434 supporters

The Issue

Employees with a waist size of >40 inches for men or >35 inches for women will have to pay an additional $1,000 per year in insurance premiums. This is a de facto pay cut for fat people who don't go on a diet. This is an abuse of corporate power and we will not purchase Michelin Tires until this practice ends.

Click here to learn more about the flawed nature of using waist circumference to judge a person's weight and health.

And if you think this is an unfair way to treat your employees, please sign our CVS Pharmacy petition as well.

The Decision Makers

Lauren Davis
Lauren Davis
External Communications Coordinator
Responded
This petition is just an example of not understanding what is actually going on. No, Michelin is not charging people higher premiums for larger waste size. The indicator is metabolic syndrome of which waist line is only one of five components, and the results are provided to a 3rd party to uphold the integrity of privacy. Failing the indicators does not lead to higher premiums. It only affects the incentive that Michelin provides to help pay for doctor’s visits. At the end of the day, even if you don’t pass any indicators, Michelin still provides you with $400. If you fail the indicators but are never sick, there is no financial penalty. Michelin as a corporation bears the cost of its employees’ health insurance. Why should they not decrease incentives to those that are costing the corporation the most money? On top of the incentive provided for health insurance, Michelin reimburses gym membership costs, hosts many activities throughout the year to promote better health (grocery shopping tips, walk-a-thons, etc.), and has a dedicated department for the physical well-being of its employees. Before signing the petition, it is important to know the facts behind it. Also, I am not happy that I had to sign the petition in order to comment because I do not agree with the stance.
Wayne Culbertson
Wayne Culbertson
Chief Human Resources Officer and Executive Vice President of Personnel
Pete Selleck
Pete Selleck
President of Michelin North America
Jean-Dominique Senard
Jean-Dominique Senard
Managing General Partner of Michelin Group
Rich Kornacki
Rich Kornacki
Executive Vice President

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