September 17, 2010

GREETINGS AND SAL-UTATIONS!

Dear NJGCA Member:

MVC CHIEF VISITS NJGCA HEADQUARTERS & MEMBERS. DIESEL STICKERS.

SPECIAL NOTE: Below Cost Selling is back and will be heard in Committee on Monday at 2:00pm in the State House! Please check your email to read the most recent Wildfire Alert with more details and information or just click HERE to be redirected to the message. Please be sure to call NJGCA Headquarters with any questions.

From Left to Right: NJGCA Secretary-Treasurer Louis Papale, Jeff O'Connor, MVC Chief Administrator Ray Martinez, Bob Dragonette, NJGCA Executive Director Sal Risalvato, Buddy Seale, Guy Seale, Joe Benham, and Summit Exxon employee Hagos.

When you’re trying to get something accomplished, you have to sit down with all the stakeholders and lay your cards out on the table.

Last week, that’s exactly what happened at NJGCA Headquarters when Ray Martinez, Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, came to visit us in Springfield.

An attorney by training, Chief Martinez brings considerable experience to his new role. He was Commissioner of the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles under Governor George Pataki and also the former Region I President of the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators.

As his resume illustrates, he is vastly qualified to run a state agency that produces over $1 billion annually. But does he understand what concerns small business owners like you?

While we discussed a great deal over our private meeting, I’m pleased to say that not only is Chief Martinez a very capable individual, but also fully grasps our desire to privatize the state’s inspection program. Over the course of our meeting, we talked at great length about possible roadblocks to privatization and the politics involved. It was a great discussion.

After we hosted him for lunch, we visited with a number of PIF owners at NJGCA Member Jeff O’Connor’s Exxon station in Summit. There Chief Martinez met face to face with six NJGCA Members and spent an hour discussing their concerns. He got a first hand overview about the new inspection equipment, how the program is being implemented on the ground, and promised to address all the issues presented to him.

Overall, it was a very productive visit and we thank everyone who participated. As a former NY DMV Commissioner, Chief Martinez oversaw a system that was totally private and that included privatized safety inspections. This will give him valuable insight into revising our own program from a quasi-public to private system.

In fact, Chief Martinez himself said that New Jersey should be out of the inspection business; period. He doesn’t understand why the state got involved to begin with, but acknowledges that moving to an all PIF system will have many obstacles.

Governor Christie has tasked the Chief with completing a report on the benefits of Privatization and how it can be accomplished. I fully expect he will rely on NJGCA and our collective input in order to complete this goal. As a matter of fact, he even said that having a strong association like NJGCA helps to make his task easier since he can get more accurate information and insight. (For those keeping score, that’s yet ANOTHER reason to be an NJGCA Member!!)

Stay tuned for further updates.

As you know, for a number of years, the diesel fuel industry has been making a slow progression from Low Sulfur Diesel (LSD) which contains 500 parts-per-million of sulfur to Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel (USLD) which contains 15 parts-per-million of sulfur. This change is beneficial not only to the environment, but will also encourage automakers to offer newer, cleaner burning diesel engines for consumers to buy.

Nevertheless, with this slow progression, it’s important that you get your new diesel pump stickers or possibly face huge fines. In the June edition of On The Road, we outlined the changes in the regulations for On-Road and Off-Road Diesel pumps. These labels must be in place by October 1, 2010 or you could face fines of $37,500 a day per violation!!

Why are these fines so huge? It all comes down to new engines and the ability to distinguish between LSD and ULSD. A customer (or an attendant) may inadvertently put LSD in his or her vehicle, when their engine is only able to burn ULSD. This is important because most diesel-powered cars built after the 2006/2007 model year can only burn ULSD. If LSD is added by accident, you may face an enormous repair bill! Trust us on this – we’ve already had a member make this mistake and it was a very pricey experience.

This isn’t a joke – please take it seriously!!

NJGCA has purchased a number of pump labels for our members. Please call Debbie Hill to obtain a sticker and we’ll send it out to you. However, we have a limited supply so call soon!

By now I’m almost positive that you’ve heard from multiple companies promising to save you considerable money on your electric bill. About a month ago I mentioned that we were looking at sorting through these providers for you because we felt it shouldn’t be taken lightly.

Well, the savings are real!! We’ve met with about six of these providers over the past several months and we are negotiating a better deal for NJGCA Members. In fact, we have narrowed our decision and expect to be announcing it to you shortly.

When we are done and a plan is revealed, please do not ignore this opportunity when we present it to you. There is relatively little paperwork and with little effort on your part you should be able to save at least 10% on your present electric bill.

Look for details in the next few weeks.

Thanks for reading and see you next week.

Regards,
Sal Risalvato
Executive Director

IN THIS WEEK'S NJGCA ROAD WARRIOR

UPDATE: NEW PIF CLASSES ADDED!!
•Added All PIF and Diesel classes below!!

SNAPSHOTS
•From Chief Martinez's visit to NJGCA HQ & visiting NJGCA Members

POLITICAL PARTICIPATON: THE NJGCA PAC
•Participate in the NJGCA PAC today and help us keep our Agenda rolling in Trenton!

NEWS AROUND THE STATE
•Savings through privatization of programs, services yet to be realized
•Unemployment drops in New Jersey
•Pension overhaul is latest reform proposed by Christie
•Legislature considers hiking fines for texting, talking while driving

ON THE NJGCA HOMEPAGE

MEMBER SAVINGS PAGE
Check out all of our MBPs and Programs designed to SAVE YOU MONEY!

HELPFUL LINKS
Looking for something? Take a look at our list of useful links!

NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE
Find all our communications and search for old e-newsletters. Take a look!

NEWS AROUND THE STATE ARCHIVE
Need to catch up on events? Want to see what's going on? Find out here!

KNOW YOUR TERRITORY MANAGER!

Henry Darden: Territory Manager for Middlesex, Union, Part of Essex (Southern Half)
Cell: 973-477-0057
Email: henry@njgca.org

Jack Leli: Territory Manager for Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, Ocean, Salem
Cell: 732-995-1637
Email: jack@njgca.org

Bob Quirk: Territory Manager for Bergen, Hudson, Part of Essex (Northern Half)
Cell: 201-214-8836
Email: bob@njgca.org

Frank Stewart: Territory Manager for Morris, Sussex, Warren, Hunterdon, Passaic
Cell: 973-234-7403
Email: frank@njgca.org

Don Stohrer: Territory Manager for Monmouth, Mercer, Somerset
Cell: 732-539-2955
Email: don@njgca.org

Contact us and use our easy contact form to request the complete
federal law including all the new requirements for GDFs.

UPDATE: NEW PIF CLASSES ADDED!!
CALL FOR FUTURE CLASS SCHEDULE INFORMATION

3 CLASS OPTIONS AVAILABLE
-ALL CLASSES WILL BE HELD AT NJGCA HEADQUARTERS-
66 Morris Avenue - Springfield, NJ 07081 (Union County)

1. INITIAL EMISSION REPAIR TECHNICIAN CERTIFICATION CLASS
DESCRIPTION: INITIAL ETEP Certification course. This is the entire program, section 1 – 7. This is everything you need to become a licensed Emission Repair Technician.
OUR CLASS INCLUDES:
• New Jersey State Specific Information Course
• ETEP Sections 1-7 – THE ENTIRE ETEP CURRICULUM
• Section 7 “Light-Duty Diesel Vehicle Technologies and Testing”.
• EIGHT DAY CLASS
Everything to become an Emission Repair Technician!!
CLASS COST (INCLUDING MANUALS):
• NJGCA Member rates: $1,495.00
• NON-Member rates: $1,695.00
CLASS SCHEDULE: Classes will be held on eight consecutive Thursdays, from 8:00am to 4:00pm. Classes begin on September 16th and end on November 4th

2. EMISSION REPAIR TECHNICIAN RE-CERTIFICATION CLASS
DESCRIPTION: This is the ETEP course that your ERT’s need in order to recertify their license.
OUR CLASS INCLUDES:
• New Jersey State Specific Information Course
• ETEP Section 6 “OBDII Monitoring Failures”
• Section 7 “Light-Duty Diesel Vehicle Technologies and Testing”.
• Five-night course
Everything your technician needs to Re-Certify his ERT license!!!
CLASS COST (INCLUDING MANUALS):
• NJGCA Member rates: $489.00
• NON-Member rates: $629.00
CLASS SCHEDULE: Sept 7, 9, 14, 16, and 21st (Tuesdays and Thursdays) from 7:00pm – 10:00pm

3. NJ EMISSION INSPECTOR TRAINING CLASS
DESCRIPTION: This is the Motor Vehicle Inspector course, plus the state approved training program. NJGCA is offering a SPECIAL ONE DAY Emissions Inspector Class & Final MVC Test.
CLASS COST (INCLUDING MANUALS):
• NJGCA Member rates: $299
• NON-Member rates: $329
CLASS SCHEDULE: September 10th at 7:30am
PLEASE NOTE: We will serve coffee/donuts in the morning and lunch at 12:00pm. You will take the MVC test at 1:00pm

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OUR TRAINING CLASSES!

**To Register call Debbie Hill 973-376-0066 x 203 or debbie@njgca.org**

A NOTE ON ALL CLASSES: FUTURE DATES WILL BE ADDED UPON REQUEST – CALL DEBBIE AND LET HER KNOW YOU ARE INTERESTED IN TAKING A CLASS SO WE MAY KEEP TRACK OF DEMAND!!

SNAPSHOTS...

…From Friday, September 10, 2010. NJGCA meets with MVC Chief Administrator Ray Martinez. Hosted by Summit Exxon owner Jeff O’Connor, Chief Martinez was able to meet with Executive Director Sal Risalvato and NJGCA Members regarding the state inspection system.

Executive Director Sal Risalvato speaks with MVC Chief Administrator Ray Martinez while NJGCA Members Bob Dragonette and Louis Papale participate in a discussion on motor vehicle inspections.

MVC Chief Administrator Ray Martinez reviews pictures from NJGCA Members Joe Benham and Bob Dragonette of vehicles which have passed emissions inspections but would have failed safety inspections and are in dangerous condition.

MVC Chief Administrator Ray Martinez speaks with NJGCA Members and Executive Director Sal Risalvato on privatizing the state vehicle inspection system.

Executive Director Sal Risalvato and NJGCA Members Bob Dragonette and Louis Papale speaks to Chief Martinez regarding the new vehicle inspection equipment.

POLITICAL PARTICIPATON: THE NJGCA PAC

Ensuring our friends in the legislature are re-elected and advocating for our agenda in Trenton are of utmost importance to the agenda of NJGCA.

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 the shoulders of a few. This is not fair to them, and it is not fair to many of you who are relying on the benefits of good legislation being passed in Trenton.

To truly understand the importance of fundraising for our allies, let’s look back upon the overwhelming successes of the last year:

NJGCA successfully lobbied against BELOW COST SELLING. If approved, BELOW COST SELLING would have cost each of you thousands of dollars and put many of you out of businesses. NJGCA leaned on some of our friends in the Assembly and literally had the bill pulled off the floor on the day it was scheduled to be voted on. Our friends in the Legislature helped us get this accomplished.

NJGCA made history and led the charge to pass the most comprehensive protection of franchisees in decades with FIRST RIGHT OF REFUSAL legislation. FIRST RIGHT OF REFUSAL passed only because NJGCA and dealers throughout the state were able to lean on several friends in the Assembly and the Senate.

NJGCA has been rallying support for RIGHT TO REPAIR over the last two years among key legislators. This would end the practice of car manufacturers denying you the codes necessary to complete the repairs you make on your customers cars. Every state has tried to pass RIGHT TO REPAIR and no state has even been able to get the legislation out of committee. Because of our friends in the Legislature, NJGCA has been successful in getting this bill passed by the Assembly and now awaits a vote in the Senate.

I am asking some of you as individuals to make a contribution and attend a fundraising event sponsored by one of our friends in the Assembly.

However, we will not be able to host events for all of our friends, so the NJGCA PAC will have to make contributions. You will be receiving letters soon from the NJGCA PAC asking you to make contributions.

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.

NEWS AROUND THE STATE

9/16/2010:
Savings through privatization of programs, services yet to be realized
After listing substantial savings through privatization of select services and state programs in the 2011 Fiscal Year budget, nearly $50 million in savings have yet to materialize, according to Legislative leaders. Despite the criticism, officials in the Treasury Department have stated that the Christie Administration is working on implementing privatization plans before the end of the current fiscal year. Click above to read the full article.

9/15/2010:
Unemployment drops in New Jersey
The state’s unemployment rate dropped slightly to 9.6% in August, but the number of jobs remained effectively unchanged. The state Labor Department reports that this is a slight improvement over the previous unemployment rate, which was 9.7% in July. Of more importance, the state gained 3,700 jobs while the public sector lost 3,200 jobs, creating a net gain of 500 new jobs for the Garden State.

9/15/2010:
Pension overhaul is latest reform proposed by Christie
Earlier this week, Governor Christie laid out a plan to drastically reform state worker pension and benefits. The goal of the reform is aimed at reducing a multi-billion dollar pension shortfall and seeks to keep the pension system solvent. The Governor proposes to raise the retirement age, rework the formula to make pensions less lucrative, and require workers to pay more for health care. Click above to read full details.

9/13/2010:
Legislature considers hiking fines for texting, talking while driving
State lawmakers are considering a measure which will create heftier fines for talking or texting while driving. The bill would double the fine for first offenses to $200 for using a hand-held phone while driving, increase to $400 for second offenses, and $600 for subsequent infractions. A 90-day license suspension is also possible for three-time offenders.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ARTICLES IN OUR “NEWS AROUND THE STATE” ARCHIVE