April 28, 2016

Dear NJGCA Member:

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

Here is what you will find in this edition:

CITGO DE-BRANDING AND SETTLEMENT IN NJ IN THE NEWS
CONSUMER AFFAIRS INVESTIGATION OF REPAIR SHOPS
WE NEED INFORMATION ON YOUR LABOR COSTS!
MAY 4TH BREAKFAST MEETING AT MASTORIS IN BORDENTOWN

You may recall that a few weeks ago in the Road Warrior we discussed the three-year Weights and Measures investigation initiated by NJGCA which found commingling at CITGO locations in NJ. CITGO ended up pulling their flag from over 20 locations in NJ, and was required to pay a large settlement to the State. In the beginning of April, CITGO publicly reminded their retailers that commingling fuel is illegal and that audits would be underway, and just this week, CITGO announced that all CITGO gasoline is now Top Tier. In the midst of all these public announcements, CITGO failed to mention the Weights and Measures investigation and the settlement they've made with the State. Just yesterday, Oil Express sent out a News Alert addressing the other side of the story, prompted by an NJGCA press release which revealed what we knew. Click HERE to read the Oil Express News Alert. I expect that there will be further developments to this story, and I will keep you updated.

In last week's Road Warrior I discussed my suspicions that the Department of Consumer Affairs is going to start paying very close attention to repair shops. I gave an example of unscrupulous people who tell car owners that thousands of dollars of work on a car are necessary, when really their car is fine, and I gave an example of someone who is truthful, does not suggest repairs that are not necessary and does not take advantage of their customers, but is cited for improper signage or an error on a customer invoice. You know my position on making sure the bad apples are caught, and standing behind the individuals who run good shops. This week, charges were brought against a shop owner who rolled back odometers, concealing the actual mileage readings by tens of thousands of miles. THESE are the types are people that I want caught! Recently, I have had a number of conversations with members about the bad apples in the repair industry, and they all tell me the same thing -- they welcome these Consumers Affairs investigations as much as I do because their integrity and their reputation is the most important part of their business. When the frauds and the cheaters are caught, the honest business owners and the motorists are the big winners. I am sure that you will also hear more about this from me in the future.

Please look for a survey from NJGCA early next week, asking you to calculate the cost of your labor at the pumps. This info has been requested by high-ranking officials in the Administration, and will no doubt be very useful in our continued efforts regarding minimum wage, paid sick leave, the gas tax, and self-serve. At the request of the aforementioned high-ranking officials, I have already reached out to a few members who I know could supply me this info rapidly, but I need much more info to make our case. That means I need your help!! As you know, the state continues to interfere in your businesses and consider policies that make it more difficult for small business owners to afford their employees. Please respond to the poll when you receive it on Tuesday, and do not hesitate to reach out to Eric at 732-256-9646 with any questions or concerns.

Finally, on Wednesday, May 4 at 9:30 AM we will be having our Diner Tour Breakfast Meeting at legendary Mastori's in Bordentown. I attend many political events there, and I LOVE the food! If you are a breakfast person, this is the perfect place for you to join us! I have already received RSVPs from multiple members. If you can attend, please reply directly to this email or call Jacy at 732-256-9646. Otherwise, if your business is in the vicinity of Mastoris, you can be expecting a phone call from our office to follow-up.

Thanks for reading -- See you all next week!

Sal Risalvato
Executive Director

Tuesday, May 17, 2016 -- 6:30 AM - 3:00 PM
Class Starts 7:00 AM (donuts and coffee provided)
Pizza and soda served at 12:00 pm
MVC Test at 1:00 PM

Cost: Member = $250
Non-Member = $300

Please bring $50.00 check made payable to NJMVC to satisfy the State's licensing fee

For more information and Registration Form, click HERE

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!!

NJGCA MEMBER BENEFIT PARTNER GILL ENERGY LOOKING TO HIRE FOR (3) DIFFERENT POSITIONS!

For more information about these positions, and to submit a resume for consideration, please contact: ravigill@gillenergy.com.

4/27/2016:
Are paid sick days good for N.J. business?
A progressive NJ think tank touted the economic merits of a statewide mandatory paid sick leave policy that's stuck in the state Legislature. A report coming out of New Jersey Policy Perspective recently said Garden State businesses would see higher productivity and less employee turnover if their employees were eligible for paid sick days. Those savings outweigh the costs of offering the earned time off, the report said. It's estimated that 1.2 million workers in NJ, many working in food preparation and service, sales and office jobs, don't receive paid sick time off. A dozen cities in New Jersey have already passed earned sick day policies, including Jersey City, Newark, Irvington, Paterson, New Brunswick, Plainfield, Montclair, Bloomfield, Trenton, Elizabeth, East Orange & Passaic. But the Senate and Assembly disagree on whether individual municipalities can deviate from the statewide law. The Senate prefers a uniform sick leave law across NJ, and municipalities that passed their own law before the bill would take effect would be grand-fathered in as long as the local ordinance is at least as favorable as the state law. The Assembly wants to allow towns to implement local paid sick leave laws.

4/26/2016:
Jersey City proposes minimum 30-hour workweeks for some private workers
Some private employers would be required to provide a minimum 30-hour workweek to their janitors, security guards, maids and other workers under a measure up for initial approval by the City Council tomorrow. The proposal, which would apply to employers in buildings larger than 100,000 square feet and to residential buildings with more than 50 units, is being touted by labor union 32BJ as the first of its kind in the US. Connecticut lawmakers and the Washington, DC Council are considering similar mandates. Aside from increasing workers' hours, the measure is also going to make more workers eligible for health insurance. The federal Affordable Care Act requires large employers provide health insurance to employees working 30 or more hours a week, or else the companies could be hit with financial penalties. The measure -- 32BJ dubs it the "Better Jobs Act" -- is the latest in a series of initiatives aimed at low-wage workers and proposed by Mayor Steve Fulop's administration. A related ordinance up for approval would require the same employers give building-service workers 90 days notice if they plan to cancel their contract.

4/24/16:
Sanders rejects Philadelphia soda tax

Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders in an interview broadcast Sunday rejected a proposed soda tax to pay for pre-kindergarten programs in Philadelphia, an initiative backed by rival Hillary Clinton. “It is a totally regressive tax, and right now, at a time of massive income and wealth inequality, when the wealthy are getting wealthier -- many of them pay an effective tax rate lower than working people,” Sanders said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “You have large multinational corporations not paying a nickel in federal taxes. That's where you get the money. Somebody's making $20,000 a year and they buy a bottle of soda, I don't think you charge them $0.30 more for that bottle of soda.” Sanders said he absolutely agrees with the goal of universal childcare. “But raise the money in a way that is progressive, not on the backs of low-income or working people,” he added. Clinton said last week at a forum in Philadelphia that she is “very supportive” of the proposal to tax soda. "I mean, we need universal preschool. And if that's a way to do it, that's how we should do it."

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.