January 10, 2014

Dear NJGCA Member:

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

After much anticipation, the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (EDA) has launched the Retail Fuel Station Energy Resiliency Program, (aka the Generator Grant Program). The website, www.njeda.com/generators, is up and running, and includes ALL of the information that you will need to learn more about the program, and apply. A joint letter from myself and Michele Brown, CEO of NJ Economic Development Authority, was recently mailed to those locations that were designated on a list generated by the state. A PDF of the letter is available HERE.

This program has an 8 week application window, which ends March 4, 2014. Click HERE to access the list of eligible stations. In addition to the stations on this list, the EDA website states, "if a fuel station is not included on this targeted list but meets the specific eligibility requirements, the retail fuel station may apply." IF YOU FALL INTO EITHER OF THESE CATEGORIES, AND YOU DECIDE TO APPLY FOR THE PROGRAM, PLEASE EMAIL ERIC@NJGCA.ORG SO THAT WE CAN ASSIST YOU, MONITOR YOUR PROGRESS AND, IF NECESSARY, ADVOCATE ON YOUR BEHALF.

I know that there are also many members who are interested in being on this list and want the opportunity to participate in this program. If you are not on this list, but would like to be, please send the following information to eric@njgca.org:

4. The distance to the Garden State Parkway, New Jersey Turnpike, Atlantic City Expressway or any evacuation route

Remember, I am not making any promises that I can get you on the list. However, if the program has money left over, I intend to fight to get additional people eligible to participate in the program.

Moving on... the New Year is here and with it, unfortunately, came an increase in the minimum wage. The minimum wage increased from $7.25/hour to $8.25/hour on January 1, 2014. Please make sure that you are in compliance. If you provide someone a lump sum at the end of each week or every two weeks, you must make sure that the hourly wage equals at least $8.25, (and $12.38 for overtime hours).

Next, I know that you haven't received it yet, but the January issue of the OTR will be in your mailboxes next week. This edition will shed light on the "Lame Duck" session of the Legislature. In the OTR, I provide some examples of why lame duck is extraordinary; however, Lame Duck is so extraordinary and surprising that two pieces of legislation popped up this week that didn't make it into my article before it went to the printer.

1. You have been aware of our efforts over the past year to amend/oppose the law that would ban surcharges on credit card purchases. To understand how ridiculous this legislation is, all you have to do is look around and realize that even though the legislation hasn't passed, and there is no law to ban this practice, there has not been one retailer who has tried to impose a surcharge for credit cards. Recently, we were under the impression that this legislation was dead, but we found out the day before the snow storm that it was on the agenda for Monday. Thankfully, we work in a coalition with other like-minded organizations and everyone scrambled, even during the snowstorm, to get the Speaker of the General Assembly to pull this legislation off the board list for Monday, otherwise this would have been on the Governor's desk next week and we would have had to deal with another example of unnecessary feel good legislation.

2. The other surprise that popped up on Monday which required our attention was a bill that was up in Committee on Thursday. The bill's goal is to alter the relationship between manufacturers and dealers to the benefit of the dealers, and while this is a shift that I would be happy to see, there is one section of the bill which would prohibit car manufacturers from selling vehicle parts, components or accessories to anyone except dealerships. You would no longer be able to buy AC Delco or Motorcraft parts from your local parts supplier. As you can imagine, this would be extremely problematic for independent repair shops. I was in Trenton to OPPOSE this provision and at the end of the hearing, it was decided that this amendment would be removed from the bill. Of course, the Legislative Session ends next week and this bill will not progress any further, but it was promising to see that the Committee agreed with our position.

Finally, I know that many of you do not have 50 employees, but for those who do, please pay ! Starting on January 6, 2014, all businesses with over 50 employees are required to post and distribute a gender-equality notice to employees advising them of their right to equal pay and benefits under state and federal law, regardless of sex. In addition to posting the notice in a prominent place or on the company's intranet, a copy must be sent to all employees either on paper or through the company intranet by Feb. 5, 2014. Please take note. The notice is available HERE.

Thanks for reading -- See you next week!

Regards,
Sal Risalvato
Executive Director

Do you have a business for sale? Are you looking for a new location or opportunity?

NJGCA also assists members in selling equipment through the placement of advetisments in Road Warrior!

If you'd like to list your business for sale, publish a location you're selling, or are seeking a business partner for your establishment, please contact NJGCA at 973-376-0066!

01/08/2014:
A Look Ahead at Tobacco Issues in 2014
With the New Year having just begun, 2014 will likely be another busy year when it comes to tobacco-related issues. And just as in the past year, the New Year will involve local, state and federal tobacco legislation as well as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) tobacco regulations. This article provides a short synopsis of developments in the tobacco industry during 2013, and includes predictions from Thomas Briant, Executive Director of the National Association of Tobacco Outlets, about where he sees the industry going in 2014. The article addresses tobacco issues on a local, state and federal level. Please click on the above link to learn more.

01/08/14:
Navia, The World's First Autonomous Car, Is Now On Sale
The world's first commercially available, fully autonomous car has arrived, and it was launched in Las Vegas at the Consumer Electronics Show. The car is called the Navia, and it's manufactured by a French company called Induct. The Navia is fully electric and can carry up to eight passengers. The Navia is a low-speed vehicle, topping out at 12.5 mph, and although it comes with a pleasant canopy, the sides are open to the elements. To learn more about the Navia and to see what the future could hold in the autonomous vehicle industry, please click the link above to read the rest of the article.

1/6/2014:
Editorial: N.J. 'Right to Repair' proposal would benefit auto repair shops, consumers
In an opinion piece written by the Times of Trenton editorial board, the author of this editorial indicates support for the Right to Repair legislation that NJGCA champions in the Legislature, along with bill sponsors, Assemblymen Moriarty and Gusciora. The author writes that, under the bill, manufacturers must make technical information for all cars model year 2002 or newer available for purchase by individual automobile owners and independent repair facilities in New Jersey. The act would also require manufacturers to provide diagnostic tools to owners and independent repair facilities in a similar fashion, including the provision that dealers may not be disadvantaged. To read more about the author's support for this legislation, please click on the above link.

1/5/2014:
Editorial: Gas tax hikes needed to fix New Jersey's roads and bridges
In this opinion piece written by the Star-Ledger editorial board, the author lays the foundation for his argument by stating that New Jersey falls $2 billion short in transportation funding each year and the state’s gas tax -- which helps pay for repairs -- hasn’t changed since 1992. He says that New Jersey drivers are taxed nearly 33 cents per gallon (only Alaska pays less), and a 10-cent hike in the state gas tax would raise $400 million. The author writes that Pennsylvania and Maryland have raised their gas taxes, and New Jersey lawmakers should consider a similar hike. We will closely monitor the situation, should this proposal gain more traction and be introduced in the State Legislature.

TRAINING CLASSES!!
-ALL CLASSES WILL BE HELD AT NJGCA HEADQUARTERS-
66 Morris Avenue - Springfield, NJ 07081 (Union County)

FUTURE CLASSES WILL BE ADDED UPON REQUEST AND ACCORDING TO DEMAND. CONTACT DEBBIE at 973-376-0066 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!!

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 require12 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 973-376-0066 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
66 Morris Avenue
Springfield, NJ 07081
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.

THE MEMBER TOOL BOX

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