If you cannot see the message, please click here

June 28, 2018

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:

• AMT Health Coverage Dividend; NJGCA Board of Directors; Issues in Trenton Affect All Businesses; Magnuson-Moss: Protecting Repair Shops; $15/hr Minimum Wage in Massachusetts; Diner Tour/Young Professionals

NJGCA CLASSIFIEDS
- Monmouth County: Gas Station and Repair Shop Business Since 2001
- Asbury Park: Commercial Building for Sale. Possible Sale of Business
- Bergen County: Shell Gas Station with 6-Bay Repair Shop for Sale

NEWS AROUND THE STATE
• U.S. EPA Releases Proposed Renewable Fuel Volumes
• Supreme Court Delivers a Sharp Blow to Labor Unions
• Fuel Retailing: It’s Not Just About Price
• Supreme Court Sides With American Express In Antitrust Case
• OPEC Ministers Strike Deal On Oil Production Levels
• NJ Lawmakers OK 5-cent Fee On Plastic/Paper Carryout Bags

• Supreme Court Clears Way to Collect Sales Tax From Online Retailers

TRAINING CLASS SCHEDULE!
??????• ETEP Re-Cert Class, THURSDAY June 21, 28, July 5, and WEDNESDAY July 11th
??????• Emissions Inspector Training Class, THURSDAY, August 9th, WEDNESDAY September 19th, THURSDAY October 18th

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

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S MESSAGE:

AMT HEALTH COVERAGE DIVIDEND
NJGCA BOARD OF DIRECTORS
ISSUES IN TRENTON AFFECT ALL BUSINESSES
MAGNUSON-MOSS: PROTECTING REPAIR SHOPS
$15 HOUR IN MASSACHUSETTS
DINER TOUR/YOUNG PROFESSIONALS

The first order of business this week is to inform those of you in the NJGCA/AMT Health Coverage program that your July invoices should be arriving today or tomorrow, reflecting a credit in the amount of 2.5% of the total premium that you paid in 2017. We have many members who will be receiving a holiday with a credit worth THOUSANDS of dollars, and many who will receive HUNDREDS of dollars. Do you think others who purchase their health care insurance from Aetna or Emblem Health or Blue Cross share in any premiums that were collected in excess of the claims that were paid? This is a benefit that ONLY NJGCA members can get. State law mandates that ONLY members of one of the 15 associations that comprise the self-funded trust called Association Master Trust (AMT) can purchase their health coverage through AMT. You should be taking advantage of this benefit!

Tuesday was the NJGCA annual meeting as required by our bylaws. There are three new members that were elected to the Board of Directors. I would like to congratulate Ebbie Ashabi, Jesse Georgeaklis, and Roger Verma. Also re-elected to the Board were Tim Arata, Tony Crisalli, Dan Holsten, Norm Lippmann, and Joe Ocello. I look forward to working with all again in the upcoming year as there are many things on the NJGCA plate.

Last week I mentioned there is a tremendous amount of activity going on in Trenton. Of course, the main thrust of the deliberations these past two months has been the bickering over the budget, which must be passed by midnight Saturday night or the government will shut down for the second year in a row. However, the new governor and the legislature have been working to enact a lot of anti-business legislation, along with a multitude of tax increases. Even though the governor and the legislature are all of the same party (Democrat), they still can’t agree. Believe it or not, they are actually fighting over which taxes they want to raise the highest. Imagine that, our elected officials are fighting over what tax to raise and how much to raise it. I am thankful though, because there are several Democrats in the leadership who have recognized that taxes in New Jersey are already way too high and have actually stood up against the governor. Several high-level meetings in the governor's office between legislative leadership and the governor and his staff have disintegrated into ruffled feathers and some slamming doors. If this all wasn't so serious, it would be amusing to watch.

Aside from the current chaos of the budget discussions, this is what has happened in Trenton that I need to alert you of. The legislature has now passed legislation that is sitting on the governor’s desk that extends the tobacco products tax to nicotine containing vaping liquid at a rate of 10¢ per milliliter. If the governor signs this, this will actually be a victory for us, as the governor was demanding that the tax be the equivalent of 40¢ per milliliter and also have the tax applied to vaping devices. The governor also demanded a tax that was the equivalent of $2.70 per cigar. You all know that we have been lobbying the legislature heavily against these taxes, so we consider the downgrade to 10¢ per milliliter to be a victory. However, like I said, the governor may not even sign it as this is not even close to what he was requesting. We’re not out of the woods yet. Should he sign it, the new tax will go into effect 90 days after signing.

On a positive note, the coalition of small business organizations that has been fighting against the expansion of the paid family leave legislation has been successful in getting the bill stopped from being voted on in the Assembly. We have at least temporarily stopped this in both the Senate and Assembly. I do expect we will have to resume the fight in September.

Another important issue for convenience stores: the legislature rushed through legislation that will require you to add a 5¢ fee to every plastic and paper bag distributed to your customers. Believe it or not, we are also considering this a victory, as this legislation started out as an outright ban on all bags other than reusable bags. At least in this version, you will get to keep 1¢ of each of the 5¢ you collect. No, you will not get rich off this, but it is rare that Trenton shares any revenues with you. We do expect the governor to sign this. If he does, it will go into effect October 1st. I predict that the legislature will impose an outright ban on plastic bags statewide within three years, as I don’t believe the fee will solve the problem of improperly disposed bags.

Despite our efforts to stop the legislature from enacting a law that will permit Jersey City to tax all employers up to 1% of your employee’s pay check, the bill is now also sitting on the governor's desk. Unfortunately, we have many members in Jersey City who will be affected by this. My fear is that this is the camel's nose under the tent, and it won't be long before the state permits other urban cities to enact a similar tax, which eventually leads to all municipal governments to tax you on all of your employees. That’s just how things work, they snowball quickly.

Finally, NJGCA played an active role in getting the Assembly to pass a resolution urging President Trump not to sell off the Northeast Gasoline Supply Reserve (NGSR) that was put in place after Hurricane Sandy. Currently, there are 700,000 barrels that have been stored and reserved in New Jersey. Since the gas lines after Hurricane Sandy were the result of “no gasoline” and not “no electric”, I think it is lunacy for President Trump to sell off this reserve. His reasoning is that we do not need it because it has not been used. Of course it has not been used, and that's a good thing! President Trump wants to make New Jersey vulnerable again!

Last week, I mentioned that Eric and I traveled to Washington DC as we gathered with some of our colleagues from other states to lobby important issues in Washington. One thing that I found encouraging as I met with Department of Transportation officials is that they were willing to meet with us to discuss federal legislation requiring safety inspections on all vehicles. It is too early to say where that discussion will go, but you can bet we’re on it. We also had a good meeting with Senator Menendez’s staff to discuss enforcement of the Magnuson-Moss Act, which prohibits car manufacturers and car dealers from requiring you to get service at the dealership in order to maintain your new car warranty. We are finding that there are still many abuses to this law and it is important if you want to keep your customers cars in your bays, rather than the dealership service bays, that this law be enforced. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Service Station Dealers of America (SSDA) for organizing this legislative fly-in on Capitol Hill.

Tom Tucker is a lobbyist from the AutoCare Association who has been working with us to pass legislation in NJ that will enforce the Magnuson-Moss Act.

To give you an idea of what we are up against in fighting $15 per hour minimum wage, Massachusetts just passed their own $15 hour last week. Here’s two articles I think you might be interested in:
Legislature Passes ‘Grand Bargain’ On Minimum Wage, Paid Leave, Sales Tax Holiday
$15 Minimum Wage, Mandatory Paid Leave Remain Rare

Finally, I want to remind you all of the next diner tour we will be hosting at the Shore Diner in Egg Harbor Township on Wednesday, July 18th from 9:30 - 11:30. Members in Atlantic, Cape May, and Ocean counties should mark their calendars and make every effort to join us. Don’t forget to bring your young professionals and next generation of your business along with you! Make sure you RSVP to Michelle at 732-256-9646 or email michelle@njgca.org.

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

ETEP Re-Certification Classes -- Sections 8, 9, and 10
This class runs on Thursdays from 1:00 PM to 9:00 PM for 4 weeks
Class Dates: Thursday, June 21, 28, July 5th and WEDNESDAY July 11th
Stop turning away work!! The New Jersey Inspection Program requires vehicles that fail emissions inspection to go to a Licensed Certified Emission Inspector for Repairs! When the new program begins, a list of Certified Emission Repair Shops will be given to vehicle owners! If you want your business name on the list – make sure you have a Certified Licensed Emission Repair Technician & an Emission Repair Facility License!

Fees for members are $675 and non-members are $795.
Click HERE for registration form.

Emissions Inspector Training Class - One Day Only!
THURSDAY, AUGUST 9th, 2018 -- 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: Thursday, August 9th from 7:00am to 3:00pm.
Cost is $275 for members.
Click HERE for the August registration form, HERE for September and HERE for October.

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:

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.

FOR SALE:

Commercial Building in Asbury Park, Possible Sale of Business, Too! For listing information, please click HERE.

FOR SALE:

Shell Gas Station with 6-Bay Repair Shop for Sale in Bergen County!

Business established in 1980. Fully equipped repair shop with 5 lifts including an alignment rack with a 2-year-old Hunter Hawkeye alignment machine. New Hunter tire machine & wheel balancer. AAA approved and very busy.

Towing business also available which includes 3 Freightliner/JerrDan flatbeds (2015, 2016 & 2017), a 2012 Dodge crew cab wrecker with a Jerrdan Quick Pick & dual cable winch & 2 service trucks (a 2012 GMC 2500 utility truck with a plow & a 2014 Ford transit battery/service vehicle).

Pumping over 1,000,000 gallons per year. 100x300 lot with plenty of parking. Excellent location!!! Call Jim @ 201-851-3084.

NEWS AROUND THE STATE: THE NEWS YOU SHOULD KNOW

6/27/18
U.S. EPA Releases Proposed Renewable Fuel Volumes
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its proposed rule regarding the renewable volume obligations (RVOs) for 2019 and biomass-based diesel volumes for 2020. Overall, EPA has proposed a 3.1% increase in renewable fuel blending. The proposed total renewable fuel requirement for 2019 is 19.88 billion gallons of biofuel with no more than 15 billion gallons from conventional renewable fuels such as corn ethanol. Using its statutory waiver authority, EPA has proposed volumes for cellulosic biofuel, advanced biofuels and total renewable fuels that are below the volume targets mandated by Congress. In the proposal, EPA also is asking for public comments on whether to limit who can trade renewable fuel compliance credits and how long they can be held. Under Section 211 of the Clean Air Act, EPA is required to set the final 2019 volumes for cellulosic and advanced biofuels and total renewable fuels and the 2020 volumes for biomass-based diesel by November 30. Public comments on the proposal must be submitted by August 17.

6/27/18
Supreme Court Delivers a Sharp Blow to Labor Unions
The Supreme Court on Wednesday dealt a major blow to organized labor. By a 5-to-4 vote, with the more conservative justices in the majority, the court ruled that government workers who choose not to join unions may not be required to help pay for collective bargaining. The ruling means that public-sector unions across the nation, already under political pressure, could lose tens of millions of dollars and see their effectiveness diminished. The court based its ruling on the First Amendment, saying that requiring payments to unions that negotiate with the government forces workers to endorse political messages that may be at odds with their beliefs.

6/26/18
Fuel Retailing: It’s Not Just About Price
The thinking was, gas stations are dirty because gas stations are just dirty. But it’s a different story today, and nobody has to choose dirty, boring or unexceptional—even if they’re just refueling a vehicle. It’s no secret that price drives fuel sales, but consider this: Although the most recent NACS Consumer Fuels Survey reported that 58% of American drivers say gas price is the most important factor when buying gas, that’s actually a 13-point drop from three years ago. Prices matter—they’re just not the full story. This can also be seen in Market Force’s most recent examination of the issue. Price mattered to 73% of respondents, but 53% said they care about lighting. Additionally, 39% valued a previous good experience, 37% said the speed of payment authorization is important, and 31% were concerned about the appearance and maintenance of the station. In other words, customer experience matters.

6/25/18
Supreme Court Sides With American Express In Antitrust Case
The Supreme Court has ruled that American Express can force restaurants, dry cleaners and other businesses to agree that they won't try to get their customers to pay with other credit cards. American Express is historically known for charging retailers higher fees to use their cards. The court was divided, but more conservative justices won out in a 5 to 4 vote.

6/22/18
OPEC Ministers Strike Deal On Oil Production Levels
OPEC ministers announced a deal on Friday that will increase oil supplies from the producer group, which has been capping output in order to balance the market and boost prices for the last 18 months. The agreement came after a week of tense negotiation at OPEC's headquarters in Vienna, Austria. Top OPEC producer Saudi Arabia faced the challenge of convincing a handful of reluctant producers including Iran, Iraq and Venezuela to support an output hike. On Friday, OPEC members agreed to start pumping more oil, though the agreement will not end the group's 18-month-old deal to limit output. Instead the producers are seeking to cut no deeper than 1.2 million bpd, the target they set in November 2016. OPEC's official statement said members agreed to return to 100 percent compliance with the 2016 deal beginning on July 1.

6/22/18
NJ Lawmakers OK 5-cent Fee On Plastic/Paper Carryout Bags
By the slimmest of margins, lawmakers yesterday voted to impose a nickel fee on plastic and paper bags, a strategy intended to reduce the use of single-use carryout bags. The bill (A-3267) aims to tackle the mounting problem of coping with the millions of bags that end up in garbage dumps and waterways and littering roads and landscape across the state. The legislation, approved without debate in both houses, now heads to the governor, where the debate over the measure is sure to intensify. Backers say the fee will encourage consumers and stores to switch to reusable bags.

6/15/18
Supreme Court Clears Way to Collect Sales Tax From Online Retailers
Americans have done more and more of their shopping online in recent years, drawn by the promise of low prices, wide selection and buy-from-home convenience. But e-commerce has also had another edge: Many of those sales were, in effect, tax-free. The Supreme Court on Thursday moved to close that loophole, ruling that internet retailers can be required to collect sales taxes even in states where they have no physical presence. The decision, in South Dakota v. Wayfair Inc., was a victory for brick-and-mortar businesses that have long complained they are put at a disadvantage by having to charge sales taxes while many online competitors do not. And it was also a victory for states that have said that they are missing out on tens of billions of dollars in annual revenue.

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.

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 reflective of self-serve everywhere except NJ.