March 17, 2016

Dear NJGCA Member:

Thank you for reading this week's NJGCA Road Warrior!

Here is what you will find in this edition:

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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S MESSAGE: GREETINGS & SAL-UTATIONS!

UPDATE ON MANDATORY PAID SICK LEAVE
NEW BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES BULLETIN
MOTOR FUELS LICENSE DUE MARCH 31

UPCOMING EVENTS: PLUG-IN CAR DISPLAY IN LAWRENCEVILLE, ETEP RE-CERT CLASS, EMISSIONS INSPECTOR CLASS, BREAKFAST MEETING IN BRIDGEWATER

You guys are getting another short Road Warrior this week!  I do have a bunch of things brewing that I would LOVE to discuss, but I'm just not ready to talk about them yet. 
 
First, I'm pleased to announce that this week in Trenton the mandatory paid sick leave bill was once again not voted on.  Although it was on the schedule, NJGCA members took action and over 100 members sent emails to their Senators urging them to vote NO on the bill. Several other organizations rallied their members too. This is the second time in the past month that the bill has been scheduled for a vote and then cancelled!! I know it may seem like we frequently ask for your help, and to be honest I can't even count the number of times we send these requests out, but I will keep asking you every week if I have to.  You can see that your actions have had results!  And it is important that you keep responding to my messages when I send them, because so far we have been able to block the bill and secure more time to continue having conversations with legislators and help them to see our position.
 
This week we also launched our Business Opportunities Bulletin, which is emailed out to the entire membership every 2 weeks. It includes properties for sale and businesses for lease!  Please review it if you are interested in growing your business.  Additionally, if you are looking to get out of the business, and have a property to sell or a business to lease, call NJGCA to learn more about how this service works!  We will continue to send these out two times per month and we hope to have some success stories to share with you in the near future!  You could save thousands of dollars in real estate commissions, and your ad will reach a very focused audience.
 
Next, the yearly renewal of your Motor Fuels License is due in two weeks, Thursday March 31.  I have attached the form HERE for your convenience.  If you need help filling it out, please do not hesitate to call Debbie at our office at 732-256-9646.
 
Finally, I want to give you a look ahead at what's going on at NJGCA.
 
This weekend, I will be attending the Living Local Expo at Rider University Gymnasium in Lawrenceville.  There is going to be a display on Plug-In Cars that I am particularly interested in.  I've already received a phone call from one of my board members saying that he will be in attendance, too.  I think it's a great way to educate yourself about the future of the industry and start preparing for the eventuality that gasoline will not be the only "fuel" that your customers' cars need.  If you plan to attend, send me an email at sal@njgca.org.  For more info about the event, click HERE.
 
ETEP Re-Cert Classes (section 8, 9 & 10) start on Tuesday, March 29th in Wall Twp.  Click HERE for the registration form that needs to be filled out and faxed back to our office!
 
Emissions Inspector Class will be held on Wednesday, March 30th. Click HERE for the form to download and fill out.
 
Finally, NJGCA will be having our next breakfast meeting on Wednesday April 6th in Bridgewater at Nik's 202 Diner, 793 Route 202 North in Bridgewater.  We hope you will be able to attend.  As always, breakfast will be FREE for our members, and we will be giving away a $50 AmEx gift card!  So come, eat, enjoy some conversation with your fellow small business owners, and walk away with information about all of the critical issues in the industry right now!  To RSVP, either reply directly to this email, or call Jacy at 732-246-9646.  If you live in Somerset County, you WILL be getting a phone call, so replying now would save both my staff and your staff a few precious minutes.  We look forward to seeing you on the 6th in Bridgewater!

Thanks for reading -- See you all next week!

Sal Risalvato
Executive Director

TRAINING CLASSES!!

All classes held at NJGCA HQ -- 4900 Route 33 West, Wall Township, NJ 07753

FUTURE CLASSES WILL BE ADDED UPON REQUEST AND ACCORDING TO DEMAND. CONTACT DEBBIE at 732-256-9646 or DEBBIE@NJGCA.ORG TO LET HER KNOW YOU ARE INTERESTED IN TAKING A SPECIFIC CLASS.  THIS WILL ALLOW US TO GAUGE YOUR NEEDS AND KEEP TRACK OF THOSE WISHING TO PARTICIPATE!!

 CLASSIFIEDS! -- FOR SALE & HELP WANTED ADS

NJGCA MEMBER BENEFIT PARTNER GILL ENERGY LOOKING TO HIRE FOR (3) DIFFERENT POSITIONS!

District Manager
Store Manager
Trucking Operations Manager

For more information about these positions, and to submit a resume for consideration, please contact: ravigill@gillenergy.com.

NEWS AROUND THE STATE: THE NEWS YOU SHOULD KNOW

3/17/2016:
NJ residents still against higher gas tax despite alarm over transportation funding
Neither a proposed estate tax cut nor the near-bankruptcy of the Transportation Trust Fund has convinced New Jersey residents to get behind an increase in the state’s gas tax, according to the latest Rutgers-Eagleton poll out Thursday. In numbers that have remained static for the last year and a half, 56 percent of state residents oppose a gas tax hike for any reason, while 42 percent of respondents support the idea. Nearly half (49 percent) of those surveyed said the prospect of lower estate and inheritance taxes would actually make them less likely to back an increase in the gas tax. That’s a 5 percent increase since a similar poll last October. Thirty-seven percent said they would support raising the gas tax if estate taxes were cut. Yet despite the majority opposition to a higher gas tax, most residents also acknowledge that an increase could be put to good use.  Just over half of residents who responded in the poll, 51 percent, believe the state is not spending enough on road and bridge repairs and maintenance. 54% believe all gas tax revenue should be redirected toward replenishing the TTF.
 
3/15/2016:
$15 minimum wage will stymie economic growth
If something sounds too good to be true, it usually is. In this case, it’s the Democrats’ proposal to raise the state’s minimum wage to $15 per hour. After all, what legislator wouldn’t want to put more money in residents' pockets?  The reality is that the plan is unrealistic. A 79% minimum wage increase will bring the state’s rebounding economic growth to a grinding halt.  Operating a small business in NJ is challenging enough, as entrepreneurs struggle to compete in a state with a hostile tax environment and a regulatory system mired in red tape. The corporate tax rate, income tax rate, sales tax, unemployment insurance tax and property taxes make it extremely difficult to survive, much less, thrive. That’s reality. Despite these obstacles, NJ’s 810,000 small-business owners employ the majority of the state’s private sector workforce. They provided more than 1.7 million jobs in 2012, accounting for 50.5% of private sector employment, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Raise the minimum wage by another $6.62 an hour and businesses will be forced to either cut staff or leave the state.  They simply cannot afford such an enormous pay increase for their employees.
 
03/14/2016:
Plainfield Now 12th City in NJ to Pass Earned Sick Time
Local residents and statewide advocates cheered as the Plainfield City Council advanced a local earned sick time law by a vote of 5-1, with 1 abstention.  Plainfield is now the 12th municipality in the state to guarantee the right of private sector workers to earn time to care for themselves or their family in the event of an illness. The Rutgers Center for Women and Work estimates that 10,000 workers who previously lacked any paid sick days will be covered by the new law. Taken together with the earned sick time ordinance overwhelmingly approved by Elizabeth voters in November 2015, 40% of the 85,000 workers in Union County who previously lacked paid sick time are covered by local laws. The law was passed after an aggressive grassroots advocacy campaign led by New Jersey Working Families and the local community group Working Families for Plainfield. Since April 2015, the New Jersey Working Families canvas team has spoken to 2,273 Plainfield residents.  Of those, 2,182 signed a petition, wrote a letter, or called their council member in support of the ordinance.  A poll conducted in July 2015 by Public Policy Polling found that over 80% of likely voters support the new law.
 

MEMBER BENEFIT PARTNER MESSAGE BOARD:

TMP Energy Solutions
Another Way to Save on Your Energy Bills

We have had a number of NJGCA members successfully reduce their rate per kWh signing up through our energy saving program. We know it's difficult to collect 12 months worth of previous electric bills to get an "accurate" analysis when comparing a variable rate to a fixed rate, but we now have another option available. 

This new solution is a power purchase option; the other program is still in full force and has saved members thousands of dollars. If you sign up for the power purchase option, you will be grouped with other NJGCA members until the minimum kW demand is acquired. By pooling the member's usage together, you will be able to take advantage, as large energy users do, and receive a lower kWh rate.

Each member will receive their own contract. Each member is responsible to sign and return the agreement the day it is received in order to secure the price for their group.

Please do your due diligence, so when you receive the proposal and the agreement you will be able to make an intelligent decision.

If by chance, you still want us to assess you bills, to give you a price to compare, we will require 12 months of your most recent utility bills.

There are no bills required, but we would still like to have one bill per meter on file to check account #'s, meter #'s  service addresses and other pertinent information incase there is a problem.

The term of the agreement is for 12 months. During this term period, you will have price protection against any energy price increases along with a low fixed kWh rate.

If you are interested in becoming part of this power purchase option, please contact Greg Cannon at the NJGCA.

Remember when you sign up your energy through the NJGCA Energy Program, TMP makes a considerable donation to the NJGCA Scholarship Fund through their proceeds. This has no affect on your rate, and costs you nothing out of pocket.

We hope to help hundreds of NJGCA members reduce their utility costs by participating in this and our other cost reduction programs.  Our purpose, in the endeavor, is to help NJGCA members lower their energy costs while supporting the NJGCA Scholarship Fund. 

Contact GREG CANNON at 732-256-9646 or email Greg at greg@njgca.org. Mention that you are interested in saving money on your energy bills. NJGCA & TMP Energy Solutions will handle all the rest.