November 14, 2014

Dear NJGCA Member:

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

Here is what you will find in this edition:

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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S MESSAGE: GREETINGS & SAL-UTATIONS! 

NJGCA / AMATO LIABILITY INSURANCE RETURNS 10% TO MEMBERS
FEEL GOOD, DO NOTHING TOBACCO LAW PASSED IN TEANECK
NJGCA FOCUS ON PREVENTING SALES TAX ON GASOLINE
DINER TOUR 2014
CREDIT CARD LAWSUIT SETTLEMENT LETTER

I've been out of the office more than usual recently, traveling around the State, so it has been tough to sit down to prepare this. Thankfully, Jacy has been able to take my thoughts and write them down, so all I needed was a quick edit.  This week, we've got a little bit of the good, the bad and the ugly. We'll start with the good...
 
I'm thrilled to start with GREAT NEWS for members participating in the NJGCA and Amato Agency liability insurance program. You can expect a visit in the near future from a representative that will hand-deliver you a DIVIDEND CHECK OF 10% of the premium that your business paid last year. We have members receiving several thousand dollars in dividends! And, as you all should know, NJGCA's Health Coverage & Workers Compensation programs ALSO recently paid great dividends!! We call this the NJGCA Triple Play Advantage. We have members that have received over $5,000 in Health Insurance dividends and thousands in Workers Compensation dividends. All of these programs far exceed what you pay in annual dues to belong to NJGCA. That's why I always say "membership in a strong trade association is the best investment you can make."
 
This is just another benefit that NJGCA provides for our members to help you save money. For those of you that aren't purchasing your liability, workers compensation, or health insurance in one of our programs, we encourage you to consider this option. I have written extensively about this and will continue to do so, but you really shouldn't be wasting any time! Please call Greg at 973-376-0066 and he can help you get enrolled and start saving money now.
 
Unfortunately, I have to move from the good to the bad.  It seems that "feel good" legislation is far too common when dealing with tobacco issues. On Wednesday night, the Teaneck Town Council chose to make a "statement" by passing an ordinance to ban the sale of tobacco products to anyone under 21 years old. In the Council's discussions, they fully acknowledged that this would hardly protect against the ills of smoking, or prevent young adults from procuring cigarettes, since they could easily leave the 6-square-mile town of Teaneck and travel to Bogota or Hackensack to purchase tobacco. The only people that this ban will hurt are the small business owners in Teaneck who will now see their customers make the short trip out of town to purchase cigarettes and any other products, such as gasoline, coffee, newspapers, snacks, etc.
 
Once again, we see a municipality taking on an issue that would typically be handled in Trenton. However, since we have been successful in preventing this legislation from passing in Trenton (and rightfully so... legislators that we meet with soon realize how counterproductive this measure is!), individual towns have decided to pursue this action on their own.  Teaneck is now the third town in New Jersey to ban the sale of tobacco to legal adults ages 19 and 20.  We need YOUR help to keep us aware of what's going on, so that we can get in there and try to stop it! For those of you with convenience stores, this issue affects one of your biggest profit centers.
 
Now, we get to the ugly ... the gas tax has been the leading topic over the past few weeks in my Road Warriors and it will continue to be until the issue is settled. I have recently had legislators confirm that my instincts are correct...  Legislators, and possibly even the Governor, are leaning toward the option of applying the sales tax to gasoline, so they will be able to deny "raising" the gas tax, but they will still be able to add about 20 cents per gallon in revenue to the Transportation Trust Fund. Eric and I have each added about 1,000 miles to our cars this week, as we have been criss-crossing the state to meet with legislators to discuss this issue.  We have also met with the Governor's senior policy advisors and the Lieutenant Governor's Chief of Staff. We've met with Department of Transportation officials, and next week we will be meeting with senior officials in the Treasurer's Office. This issue is growing into one of paramount concern and I've even heard from many of you who have expressed how difficult a sales tax would be for you and your business, administratively and financially. I can only tell you that at this point in time, it is my main focus, and efforts are ongoing. I will continue to report to you.

Now, more good news. We had another successful Diner Tour Meeting on Tuesday in May's Landing. Our next meeting will be Tuesday, November 18th in Clayton. Everyone is invited to attend, and those members in the immediate vicinity of the location will be receiving separate emails and phone calls to follow-up. These meetings are a great time for productive roundtable discussions with me and other business owners to talk about topics such as self-serve, gas tax, paid sick leave, tobacco issues, the changing inspection program, and anything else that is on your mind!  Remember, these are FREE breakfasts, and one member at each meeting will win a $50 gift card from NJGCA. To let us know that you would like to attend, please call 973-376-0066 and ask for Jacy.  Here are the details for the rest of the meetings in 2014...
 
Tuesday, November 18
Liberty Diner
501 S. Delsea Drive, Clayton
 
Tuesday, December 9
Medport Diner
122 NJ Route 70, Medford
 
Wednesday December 10
Cross River Mill Diner
1200 River Ave, Lakewood Township
 
All meetings are from 9:30 - 11:00 AM.  Below are a few pictures from this week's meeting.
 

Finally, I have received over a dozen calls and some emails asking for advice regarding a letter that many of you received on accepting the settlement that was approved by a judge last year. You may remember that merchants across the country sued the credit card companies and the lawyer representing the merchants agreed to settle the lawsuit even though his clients disagreed. Under Federal Class Action Law the lawyer is permitted to do this. Of course, the lawyers fees that amounted to $700 million dollars would then be paid to them, so you can see why they wanted this settlement.
 
Last year, we recommended that you opt out of the settlement or you would have to forfeit your rights when further legal action was taken against Visa and MasterCard. Our advice may be different at this time and I am reviewing this issue with legal counsel that now represents the merchants.  Sit tight and I will get an answer to you in the next week.

That's all for now.  Thanks for reading.  See you next week!

Regards,
Sal Risalvato
Executive Director

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

NJGCA is offering the Emission Repair Technician RE-CERTIFICATION class in December.

FOR REGISTRATION INFO FOR THE EMISSION REPAIR TECHNICIAN RE-CERTIFICATION, PLEASE CLICK HERE

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!!

CLASSIFIEDS! -- FOR SALE & HELP WANTED ADS 

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

• NJGCA regularly assists members looking to sell their business by getting the word out. Since everyone reading this message is involved in the small business gasoline retail, convenience store, and automotive repair trades, it is an ideal medium to connect with interested buyers and prospects!

NJGCA also helps members sell equipment by placing ads in the Road Warrior!

• If you'd like to list equipment for sale, or have an open position you'd like to make other industry professionals aware of, please contact NJGCA at 973-376-0066 and let us help you get the word out! 

NEWS AROUND THE STATE: THE NEWS YOU SHOULD KNOW

11/13/2014:
Tobacco sales ban proposal draws fire in Mass. town
Only a few people were able to speak on a proposal that could make the tiny Massachusetts town of Westminster the first in the nation to ban all sales of tobacco products before boos and shouts from the crowd shut down the public hearing Wednesday night. Sixty or more residents in the packed Westminster Elementary school gymnasium were registered to share their opinions. Some among the audience of several hundred toted signs opposing the ban; some had participated in a rally earlier. But amid shouts of "America!" and "Freedom Now," Board of Health chairwoman Andrea Crete gaveled the hearing to a close just 25 minutes into it instead of taking comments. Crete and the two other board members were escorted out by police, and the crowd dispersed. She said the board would accept written testimony until Dec. 1 and would vote later. She didn't specify a date.

 
11/13/2014:
High-deductible health plans can be a financial burden, too
Americans who have health insurance are paying more of their own medical bills out-of-pocket, reflecting the growth of high-deductible health plans that offer more affordable premiums but shift medical expenses to the plan's members.  But high deductibles also can be tough to afford -- and in some cases discourage people from seeking the medical care they need, according to a new survey from the Commonwealth Fund. The survey found that, among people across all income groups with commercial insurance plans that have a deductible, 43% said their deductible is “somewhat, very difficult or impossible to afford.” And 46% of insured people earning less than about $23,000 a year cited at least one time when they skipped needed health care because they couldn’t afford the out-of-pocket expenses under their health plan.
 
11/12/2014:
Low Gas Prices Prompt General Motors to Lay Off 510 Workers
The low gas prices that have benefitted sales of full-size pickups and SUVs has also cut demand for small cars and as a result forced General Motors to lay off 510 hourly workers at two plants in Michigan that produce small cars. The average price for a gallon of gasoline is now $2.923 cents per gallon, according to the AAA Daily Fuel Gage as the price of gasoline dropped by almost a penny.  Last month, Americans were paying $3.208 cents per gallon. The prices are part of the reason buyers are finding their way back to trucks, crossovers and SUVs, which is resulting in more production capability than demand at the sites. The automaker is laying off 350 employees at its Lansing Grand River Assembly facility in January and 160 more at its Orion Assembly plant. The two sites produce a variety of small cars, including Cadillac ATS and CTS in Lansing and the Buick Verano and Chevy Sonic in Orion.
 
11/9/2014:
As Gas Gets Cheaper, Ford Ups Incentives On Smaller, More Efficient Cars
Sales of green cars and gas prices are inversely related. As fuel gets cheaper, the financial incentive of a more-efficient car decreases, and consumers lose interest. Given that trend, perhaps it's not too surprising that Ford will offer its dealers bonuses if they sell certain fuel-efficient vehicles to meet year-end sales targets. According to a memo obtained by The Detroit News, Ford is starting a pilot "Volume Growth Bonus Program" to encourage sales of the C-Max, Fiesta, Focus, Fusion, and Escape. Together these models -- all of which offer hybrid, plug-in, or downsized gasoline power-train options -- represent about 39% of the Ford brand's sales volume. The program will offer dealers between $100 and $600 per vehicle if they meet certain sales goals, and runs from November 1 to January 2.  These dealer-bonus programs aren't uncommon in the car industry, but Ford's pilot program differs from others in that dealers will be able to make up monthly sales shortfalls to get the extra money.
 

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 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.