April 07, 2017

Dear NJGCA Member:

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

Here is what you will find in this edition:

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

OVER 1,000 SUNOCO C-STORE LOCATIONS BEING SOLD TO 7-11
FEDERAL ISSUES: TAX REFORM & ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
NJGCA ENVIRONMENTAL COMMITTEE MEETING ON WEDNESDAY 4/12

The big news this week is Sunoco’s announcement of the sale of over 1,100 of their 1,350 c-store locations to 7-11. I don't believe that there are many NJ locations that will be affected, as most Sunoco-branded locations are either dealer-owned properties or dealer-owned locations that are APlus convenience stores, which are not part of the sale. However, if I’m wrong, and any of you receive any notice that your franchise location is being sold to 7-11 or anyone else, contact me immediately, as your location should be afforded a right of first refusal. Again, I don’t think any of the NJ locations will be affected, however, I want to repeat, if I am wrong and you get any kind of notice, please contact me immediately. I've said many times over the past five years that Sunoco would soon start divesting its retail real estate, and even if this current sale does not include all locations, I still believe that at some point Sunoco will sell the remainder of their locations! We will continue to monitor the situation.

Next, I want to take a moment to share some information with you about things going on at the federal level. This information comes from our friends at SSDA, who do great work in keeping NJGCA and many others informed about what’s going on. We’ve taken the time to go through some of the material they have sent, and there are a few things I want to share with the members:

Final reminder: NJGCA will be hosting our Environmental Committee meeting on Wednesday April 12^th at 10AM. All who wish to attend must please RSVP so we know which room to reserve! The Environmental Professionals that we partner with will be in attendance, and this is a great opportunity to remain up-to-date and informed on all of the upcoming changes to environmental regulations, and even have the chance to participate in the formation and creation of policies for the future. Please reply to this email or call Debbie at 732-256-9646.

Thanks for reading -- See you next week!

Sal Risalvato
Executive Director

TRAINING CLASSES!!

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

Emissions Inspector Training Class - One Day Only!

Want one of your technicians to become a NJ Emissions Inspector? We can help! Our one-day class will provide all the information for becoming a NJ Emissions Inspector, and the State will administer the written test the very same day at our offices! We are offering the class: Tuesday, April 25th from 7:00am to 3:00pm. Cost $250.
Click HERE for the registration form.

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

FOR SALE:

Commercial Building in Asbury Park, Property Only for Sale, Not the Business! For listing information, please click HERE.

FOR SALE:

Four (4) Gilbarco Encore 300 dispensers. Brand New in 2003. Pumps work great, just no card readers. Call Katie or Al at 732-739-1360.

Also offering: Transac system for pumps and two dual LSI island lights

NEWS AROUND THE STATE: THE NEWS YOU SHOULD KNOW

04/06/2017:
Has the Movement to Raise the Minimum Wage Reached Its Limit?
Cities and counties from Portland, ME to Los Angeles have successfully passed local minimum-wage increases, but resistance in seemingly friendly territory suggests a momentum shift. The newly elected Baltimore mayor last month vetoed an increase of the local wage floor to $15 an hour by 2022, despite favoring the policy as a candidate. Earlier this year, the top elected official in Montgomery County, Md. blocked a similar measure despite the county previously being at the forefront of local minimum-wage increases. "I want people to earn better wages," Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh, a Democrat, said in an interview. "But I also want my city to survive." Proponents view increases as a way to ensure low-wage workers earn incomes above the poverty line, and to narrow the disparity between rich and poor Americans. Opponents say raising the minimum wage discourages hiring and encourages employers to invest in automation or move jobs to lower-wage states or countries. The federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour is set by Congress. It hasn't increased since 2009. The average hourly wage of U.S. workers has increased by almost $4 an hour, or 18%, since the last federal increase, according to the Labor Department.

04/05/2017:
Why New Jersey gas prices will rise 20 to 40 cents
Gas prices in NJ are on the rise along with the spring thermometer for a number of reasons. GasBuddy.com senior analyst Patrick DeHaan said rising pump prices are happening around the usual suspects -- “the switch to more expensive summer gasoline mandated by the EPA and Clean Air Act amendments, as well as refinery maintenance that is taking place.” And DeHaan adds there is one more thing: “That is the price of oil has gone up in recent days.” Crude oil futures rose $1.03 in New York on Tuesday, closing at $51.03 a barrel. NJ’s average price right now is $2.33 per gallon. The national average sits just about at the same level, $2.34 per gallon. According to DeHaan, not only is spring break coming, but temperatures are starting to warm countrywide -- and that is spurring Americans to hit the road. That extra driving is also driving extra demand. And the switch over to summer grades of gas, here in NJ and elsewhere? “That is a transition that takes several months to fully implement. And right now we are kind of in the midst of that transition,” DeHaan said. “Refiners are getting rid of any excess winter gasoline that they may have, getting rid of those ‘brown bananas’ so to speak, and in some cases, they are doing so at very low prices.” DeHaan said we are likely to see an increase of 20 to 40 cents per gallon by Memorial Day. “Most areas will see prices peak in the mid to upper-$2 a gallon range, with some of those $3 dollar prices possible in higher-priced areas only, like California, some areas of NYC, Chicago. But most of the nation should see prices for much of the summer settle into the upper-$2 range, perhaps as low as the mid-$2 a gallon range. And I think that that is what is on tap for New Jersey,” DeHaan said.

03/31/2017:
Supreme Court Orders Review of Swipe Fees & Free Speech Issue
A NY law banning businesses from tacking on surcharges on credit card purchases will get a second look. The US Supreme Court ruled unanimously on March 29 to send a case about the fees back to a lower court for review. The issue before the justices was whether the measure violates merchants' free-speech rights. The federal appeals court in NY that upheld the law concluded that it regulated conduct, not speech. The justices said the law deals with speech and ordered the appeals court to re-evaluate it. The Supreme Court heard arguments on Jan. 10, which challenged laws in 10 states that prohibit merchants from imposing a surcharge when customers use a credit card. According to the National Constitution Center, several states — including NY — have enacted laws that allow merchants to charge higher prices to customers who pay with a credit card rather than with cash. The practice allows merchants to recover money they pay in swipe fees on each credit card transaction. However, merchants are barred from using the word "surcharge" when informing customers about the price difference. Instead, the word "discount" must be used when referring to a cash payment. To read more about the retailers’ reaction, click the link above.

03/30/2017:
Oregon House Votes Unanimously To Expand Self-Service Gas
Fueling stations in eastern Oregon could offer self-service gas around the clock under a measure that passed the Oregon House 56-0 last week. For decades, Oregon and New Jersey were the only states that banned most drivers from pumping their own fuel. Two years ago, Oregon lawmakers backed away from that ban, but only for rural counties and only at night. The idea was to prevent drivers from getting stranded in a small town where the only station had closed for the day. The new law would allow those rural stations to offer self-serve around the clock. Democratic Rep. Paul Evans said his “yes” vote shouldn’t be construed as an endorsement of allowing self-serve statewide. “I just want to be very clear with anybody who tries to turn this vote into something it’s not: This is about making sure that folks who don’t have other options have the opportunity to get fuel and are not stranded, period,” he said. The law banning self-service gas stations in Oregon has been on the books since the early 1950s. Voters affirmed the ban in 1982, when they rejected an initiative to overturn it by a 58%-42% margin. Democratic Rep. Phil Barnhart said during the debate on the House floor that the ban is “a marital issue” for him. “When my wife drives to California, and has to stop to fuel there, I hear about it later because she has to pump her own gas and she very much dislikes that,” said Barnhart. “And so I’m pleased to hear the bill covers only the lightly populated counties.” The measure now heads to the Oregon Senate for consideration.

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.

POLITICAL PARTICIPATON: THE NJGCA PAC

DEFENDING OUR MEMBERS.
PROTECTING YOUR INTERESTS.
ANSWER THE CALL & CONTRIBUTE TODAY!!

Promoting our agenda in Trenton is of utmost importance to NJGCA and our members.

However, in order to truly affect the debate, we must ensure our friends in the Legislature are re-elected. It is for this reason that your Association has established the NJGCA PAC.

For too long, the weight of funding our Political Action Committee, the arm of the Association responsible for political donations, has rested upon a few. This is not only unfair to those few members who have shouldered this burden, but means we are not utilizing our full strength to affect the debate in Trenton.

To truly understand the importance of supporting our allies, consider our successes in Trenton:

We defeated BELOW COST SELLING
We made history in getting FIRST RIGHT OF REFUSAL signed into law!
We have built large support for RIGHT TO REPAIR and got it passed out of the Assembly
We defended your small business against the false accusations of Attorney General Anne Milgram
We gained wide support to move New Jersey to an all PIF Inspection System and close the CIF lanes
...and MUCH MORE!!

In each instance, we achieved these goals with the help of our friends in the Legislature!

If every member contributes just $100.00 we will be able to provide the help necessary to ensure victory for our allies.

PLEASE SEND YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS TO:
NJGCA PAC
4900 Route 33 West, Suite 100
Wall Township, NJ 07753
Please make your donation payable to NJGCA PAC

I understand that times are tough for all NJGCA members, but this is just as important as any battle we have fought in the past.

We have made great progress in Trenton. I hope that you will answer the call.

*NEW* Energy Information Agency Weekly Retail Gasoline Prices

Each week, the Energy Information Administration publishes a list of average gasoline prices for the previous three weeks. NJGCA will begin including this list with the Weekly Road Warrior. Remember, these prices are for reflective of self-serve everywhere except NJ.