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Road Warrior Newsletter
 




 

January 31, 2019

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:
• This is it: $15 Minimum Wage Up For Vote Thursday; Wage Theft Legislation Will Harm Honest Employers

NJGCA CLASSIFIEDS
- Mercer County: Gas Station for Sale
- Monmouth County: Gas Station and Repair Shop Business Since 2001

NEWS AROUND THE STATE

• NJ Businesses Worry ‘Wage Theft’ Crackdown Could Be Unfair
• Stormwater Measure Advances In State Assembly, Opponents Air Criticisms
• Wage-Theft Law In The Cards — With Lighter Penalties For ‘Honest’ Mistakes
• On Patrol With The Enforcer Of D.C.’s Plastic-Straw Ban
• 8 Of 12 NJ House Members Co-Sponsor Federal Minimum Wage Increase
• $15 Minimum Wage Could Change Lives. But It Could Also Cripple Small Businesses, Owners Say
• NJ Assembly Committee Approves $15 Minimum Wage
• NJGCA: $15 Minimum Wage Bad for Gas Prices, Bad for Small Business
TRAINING CLASS SCHEDULE!
??????• EMISSIONS INSPECTOR TRAINING CLASS: THURSDAY, February 28th, March TBD.
??????• ENTIRE EMISSION REPAIR TECHNICIAN PROGRAM: Coming Soon in February/March
??????• RECERTIFICATION EMISSION REPAIR TECHNICIAN PROGRAM: Coming Soon in February/March

MEMBER BENEFIT PARTNER MESSAGE BOARD
• The Amato Agency: Garage Insurance and Workers Compensation! 
• ATS Environmental: Confidence in your Tank & Compliance Testing
• Bellomo Fuel: Exceptional Service, Aggressive Petroleum Marketing
• CBIZ Insurance: Our Business is Growing Yours!
• Gill Energy: Getting you There!
• Lending Capital: "Commercial Loans Made Easy" Program
• Salomone Brothers: Tank Testing and Environmental Compliance
• TMP Energy Solutions: Another Way to Save On Your Energy Bills
POLITICAL PARTICIPATON: THE NJGCA PAC
• Participate in the NJGCA PAC today and help us keep our Agenda rolling in Trenton!

Energy Information Agency Weekly Retail Gasoline Prices

JOIN NJGCA ON FACEBOOK -- CLICK HERE
TO SEE OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL -- CLICK HERE
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER-- CLICK HERE
                                                                                                                                       

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S MESSAGE:

THIS IS IT: $15 MINIMUM WAGE UP FOR VOTE THURSDAY
WAGE THEFT LEGISLATION WILL HARM HONEST EMPLOYERS
 
MINIMUM WAGE
$15 minimum wage is now staring us in the face. I have been giving you the blow-by-blow and ups-and-downs on this for more than three years. Yes, we have been successful blocking it over time, and yes, I predicted that eventually it would pass. Last week when I wrote this update, I knew that I would be testifying to the Assembly Labor Committee and that a vote was scheduled where I expected this to pass. I testified as did fellow member Stan Kaplan from Kaplan’s Car Care. I encourage you all to listen to our testimony. Stan requested to be the member who testifies with me on this issue, and he did a great job. All NJGCA members should be very grateful to Stan. The Senate version of the bill was also heard on Monday in the Senate Budget Committee and as predicted, passed that committee as well. Both the Senate and Assembly are scheduled to vote today to pass minimum wage, sending it to the governor’s desk for his signature. I expect it to pass both houses, and it would not surprise me if Governor Murphy signs it within hours of having it placed on his desk. This legislation will raise the minimum wage to $10 per hour on July 1, 2019, then $11 per hour January 1, 2020. Minimum wage will rise $1 an hour each year after that until it reaches $15 in 2024. This is the perfect example of elections having consequences. I doubt that Kim Guadagno would sign legislation to increase the minimum wage had she won the election for governor in 2017.
 
Stan Kaplan and Sal Risalvato testifying before the Assembly Labor Committee on $15 minimum wage
 
Further proof that elections have consequences: Efforts are now being made in Washington D.C. to make the federal minimum wage $15 per hour as well. Two of New Jersey’s newest elected representatives have signed on as sponsors to raise the federal minimum wage to $15. Congressman Andy Kim defeated Congressman Tom MacArthur last November and Congressman Tom Malinowski defeated Congressman Leonard Lance. I pose this question to you all: Do you think that either Congressman MacArthur or Congressman Lance would have sponsored, or even voted for an increase in the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour? I also have the answer . . . no! Elections do have consequences.
 
To read more about the state and federal minimum wage increases, check out the following articles:
 
 
WAGE THEFT
Another issue that we have been battling for over two years is wage theft. Although we have gained some helpful compromises, this legislation also passed the Assembly Labor Committee and the Senate Budget Committee on Monday. NJGCA opposed passage of this legislation since one of the changes we requested to the bill was not included. It is reasonable to support harsh punishment for dishonest employers who purposefully cheat their employees. This current version of the legislation applies harsh penalties to both dishonest employers as well as employers who may have unknowingly improperly paid an employee. NJGCA will never support employers who knowingly cheat their employees, as this allows dishonest shop owners who cheat their employees to gain an unfair advantage over you, the honest employer. Therefore, we cannot support this current version of the legislation. Although this legislation is also scheduled for a vote today, I have asked Senate President Sweeney to hold up the vote until the proper changes can be made. I am hopeful he will do so. I will report back to you next week the results of this request. In the meantime, you can hear my testimony to the Assembly Labor Committee HERE. I also encourage you all to read this article from NJ 101.5 which used several quotes from my testimony on Monday.
 
That's all for this 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!
THURSDAY, February 28th, 2019 -- 7 AM to 3 PM
OR
March TBD -- 7 AM to 3 PM

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: Monday, January 28th, Thursday, February 28th, and Tuesday, March 26th from 7:00am to 3:00pm. Cost is $275 for members. Click HERE for the February registration form. March date coming soon. 
 

Want to become an emission repair technician/facility?
Entire Emission Technician Education Program (ETEP) Training Classes
 Sections 1-7
1 PM to 9 PM
February through March: Exact dates coming soon!

Sections 8, 9, 10 (RECERTIFICATION)
1 PM to 9 PM
February through March: Exact dates coming soon!

Stop turning away work!

The New Jersey Inspection Program requires vehicles that fail emissions inspection to go to a Licensed Certified Emission Repair Facility and have a Licensed Emission Repair Technician perform the repairs! When the new Emissions Inspection program begins, a list of Certified Emission Repair Facilities will be given to the vehicle owners who fail the New Jersey Emission Inspection. If you want your business name on the list – make sure you have a Certified Licensed Emission Repair Technician and you are licensed as a Emission Repair Facility! Those signing up for the FULL training course will attend sections 1-10. Full ETEP class fees for members are $2,195 and non-members are $2,395. Recertification fees for members are $729 and non-members are $879.

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

NEW!
FOR SALE:
GAS STATION FOR SALE
EWING NEW JERSEY 
OWNER RETIRING
CALL: 609-882-1105

FOR SALE:

Business For Sale: Monmouth County gas station and repair shop in business since 2001 is for sale. Owner is relocating out of state and is interested in selling business and equipment. Owner is open to limited financing. Business has a strong 10 year lease. The building has two repair bays and the gas pumps are leased to a large independent tenant. Repair shop business currently employs a Manager and two full-time Technicians. For inquiries and more info, please call Mark at 908-670-7798.

                                                                                                                                     

NEWS AROUND THE STATE: THE NEWS YOU SHOULD KNOW

1/29/19
NJ Businesses Worry ‘Wage Theft’ Crackdown Could Be Unfair
Efforts are moving forward to toughen the penalties for businesses that cheat New Jersey workers out of their full salaries and benefits, or punishing them if they complain. During hearings on the proposed changes in the Assembly Labor Committee last Thursday and the State Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee on Monday, concerns were raised about cracking down on firms that may have unknowingly withheld wages because of an accounting mistake. Existing law calls for a $100 fine for the first nonpayment of wages, but proposed legislation would increase the penalty to $500 to $1,000, or up to three months in jail. Sal Risalvato, executive director of the New Jersey Gasoline, C-Store and Automotive Association, a group that represents gas station and convenience store owners, said that’s unacceptable because there is no distinction made “between those that cheat their employees and those that make errors and unknowingly may have cheated their employees.” He pointed out in the businesses he represents, the owner is the one who handles the bookkeeping and everything else, so he’s a one-man band. "It would be wrong to punish that business owner the same as a business owner that makes a calculation to cheat employees," he said.

1/29/19
Stormwater Measure Advances In State Assembly, Opponents Air Criticisms
Lawmakers yesterday moved closer to approving a much-debated measure that aims to give communities the resources to fix aging stormwater systems that foul the state’s waters and increase flooding. Despite protests from business interests, the Assembly Appropriations Committee advanced legislation (S-1073) that would allow towns and other entities — such as county or regional authorities — to fund projects to manage flooding and runoff from rainfall.

1/29/19
Wage-Theft Law In The Cards — With Lighter Penalties For ‘Honest’ Mistakes
Legislation that would make it harder on New Jersey employers who fail to pay workers full salary and benefits has cleared committees in both houses. Considered a companion to the $15 minimum wage bill, the measure’s get-tough tone may need some softening in order to gain full passage. . . several lawmakers who voted to release the bill from committee or abstained said it needs to be tweaked to ensure its tougher fines would not penalize businesses that made a clerical error in payment. A first violation for wage theft carries a fine of between $500 and $1,000 or between 10 days and 90 days in jail or both.

1/28/19
On Patrol With The Enforcer Of D.C.’s Plastic-Straw Ban
Nine years after the District instituted a nickel tax on plastic bags and three years after it banned plastic foam food containers, it has turned on plastic straws — the newest target of environmentalists trying to reduce millions of tons of plastic that ends up in trees, waterways and in the bellies of wildlife. . . The District is among at least 15 jurisdictions that have outlawed plastic straws, including Seattle, Monmouth Beach, N.J., and a string of coastal cities in southern Florida and California, including San Francisco. There are no statewide bans, although California requires restaurants to serve straws only at customers’ request. An increasing number of corporations, including Starbucks, Marriott and American Airlines, are voluntarily phasing out plastic straws.

1/28/19
8 Of 12 NJ House Members Co-Sponsor Federal Minimum Wage Increase
Eight members of the New Jersey congressional delegation have signed on as co-sponsors of a bill to increase the hourly federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $15 by 2024. Signing on as co-sponsors are Reps. Andy Kim (D-Marlton), Tom Malinowski (D-Rocky Hill), Donald Norcross (D-Camden), Frank Pallone (D-Long Branch), Bill Pascrell (D-Paterson), Donald Payne (D-Newark), Albio Sires (D-West New York), and Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-Ewing).

1/25/19
$15 Minimum Wage Could Change Lives. But It Could Also Cripple Small Businesses, Owners Say.
With supporters saying it will change lives and one opponent claiming it will be the end of roller rinks in New Jersey, a state Assembly committee on Thursday approved a bill that would raise the state’s minimum wage to $15 in 2024.Under the bill, the minimum wage for most workers would increase to $10 an hour on July 1, to $11 on Jan. 1, 2020, $12 an hour on Jan. 1, 2021, $13 in 2022, $14 in 2023 and $15 in 2024. . .The owners of a seasonal, shore bakery estimated they would have to raise the price of a dozen doughnuts to $21 to account for the higher wages, and a south Jersey gas station and repair shop owner forecasted he’ll shut off his pumps in July rather than operate at a loss, laying off two attendants.

1/24/19
NJ Assembly Committee Approves $15 Minimum Wage
New Jersey’s bid for a $15 an hour minimum wage by 2024 has cleared an assembly committee on a largely partisan vote with Democrats in favor and Republicans against it. . . Sal Risalvato of the state’s Gasoline Retailers Association followed and sympathized with those like Coolis, but added he could present his own stories of pain from the other side of the issue. “I could bring up a number of small business owners who have put their home at risk to get a second mortgage to put a down payment on a business, and work hundreds of hours beyond what their employees work just to make those payments and put a little something on their family’s tables as well,” Risalvato said.

1/24/19
NJGCA: $15 Minimum Wage Bad for Gas Prices, Bad for Small Business
Raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour will not only harm small businesses throughout the state, but will result in an increase in gas prices in one of the most expensive states to live in in the country. The legislature is moving quickly to enact A-15, allowing for a $15 minimum wage in New Jersey . . As a result of these increases to the minimum wage, station owners will have no choice but to pass almost the entirety of this cost increase on to motorists in the form of higher gas prices by 10¢ or more, lay off a large portion of their workforce, and may even be forced to close down. Further, because New Jersey is the last statewide prohibition on self-service stations in the country, our members are unable to take some of the measures other businesses in other states can do by automating, because it is illegal in this state.
                                                                                                                                            
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 PARTICIPATION: 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. 
                                                                                                                                     
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 reflective of self-serve everywhere except NJ.