April 11, 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! 

REPORTING UNLICENSED ERFS AND ERTS
PAID SICK LEAVE BATTLE HEATING UP IN TRENTON

Last week, I mentioned that I spoke with MVC about unlicensed ERFs and ERTs, and I am not necessarily happy with the response they have given me. Right now, if MVC receives a report that an unlicensed ERF or ERT is performing emissions-related repairs, Motor Vehicles will visit the location and give them a warning, with the expectation that they will undertake the necessary steps to obtain proper licensure. Only after a subsequent complaint will MVC issue a summons.
 
Therefore, if you know of a competitor's shop, which continually performs unlicensed repairs, and their customers come to YOU for re-inspection, you MUST document the instance and report it to me immediately after the customer leaves. I will insist that Motor Vehicle issues the summons, or I will personally file a complaint with the Attorney General.
 
Now, onto an issue that just keeps getting bigger and bigger -- paid sick days. In the same way that NJGCA joins with like-minded business groups to form coalitions, our opponents have come together and formed the New Jersey Time to Care Coalition to fight for issues such as minimum wage, paid sick days, and family leave insurance.
 
Once again, because of the magnitude of this issue and the importance to our members, NJGCA has teamed up as part of another coalition to fight this issue. I expect that this will be a broad coalition with over 30 other like- minded trade associations working together to stop this proposal. I can’t imagine how burdensome it would have been if I would have had to provide paid sick leave for my part-time gas attendants when I was in the business.  The stage is set for a fierce battle in Trenton, and we need YOU to be ready to get involved.
 
Here's what you need to know about the paid sick leave proposal:

• It would require that every employee in the state, including part-time and hourly workers, be given paid sick leave in the amount of one hour of paid leave for every 30 hours worked. 

• Employees can accrue up to 40 hours of paid sick leave at a time if the business has fewer than ten employees and up to 72 hours of paid leave if there are 10+ employees. 

• The sick leave can be used not only if the employee is sick, but also if they claim a family member (and not just their spouse or child, but also grandparents and in-laws) needs medical care. 

• Every business would be affected, no matter how few employees it has. 

• It carries over from year to year. 

• Employers will have to keep records going back 5 years to prove that they provided the legally required amount of sick time, and employees will be able to file a complaint if they believe they were fired or simply not promoted because they used their sick time. 

• There would also be yet another notification that businesses would be required to post, which would alert employees that they have paid sick time. 

• If an employer already provides some other form of paid time off, then they will not need to offer additional sick time, as long as the time off they already provide is equal to or greater than what is being mandated. 

Finally, in advance of Passover, we would like to wish all of our Jewish members a Good Pesach!

Thanks for reading -- See you next week!

Regards,
Sal Risalvato
Executive Director

CLASSIFIEDS! -- FOR SALE & HELP WANTED ADS 

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY!!

Well established family-owned gas and repair service station in Springfield, NJ. Serving the community for over 30 years, located on a well travelled main street.



We are looking for the following:

• A hard working, intelligent person with the desire to take their experience to the next level by working with me and eventually taking over the business for their own.

• You must be experienced in the automotive service industry, a licensed and/or certified mechanic, and have what it takes to own and operate your own business.

Please call 973-376-1416 to arrange an interview.

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!      

NEWS AROUND THE STATE: THE NEWS YOU SHOULD KNOW

04/09/2014:
N.J. residents are unhappy with the high cost of taxes, poll says
The latest findings from Gallup Inc. suggest that 77% of NJ residents are unhappy with the high cost of state taxes. Conducted between June and December of last year, the bi-lingual telephone poll included at least 600 representative interviews will residents aged 18 and older in all fifty States. On average, half of the country complained of high state taxation -- but none more than the states of NJ, NY and CT, where 3/4 residents reported dissatisfaction. It’s no surprise that Americans living in the Northeast are more likely to be upset about the cost of taxes in their area, with the exceptions of New Hampshire (41%) and Delaware (34%). According to the Tax Foundation estimates, NJ, NY, CT, WI and CA residents pay an average of 11% or more of their income in state and local taxes. On average, 69% of these residents are dissatisfied.
 
04/08/2014:
N.J. lawmakers launch statewide paid sick-leave campaign
With mandatory paid sick-leave policies recently put in place in NJ’s two largest cities, lawmakers and advocates are now calling for a statewide measure. State Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D-Teaneck) and Assemblywoman Pamela Lampitt (D-Voorhees) joined members of the NJ Time to Care Coalition Tuesday in Trenton to announce their sponsorship of identical bills in both houses of the Legislature mandating that full- and part-time workers be allowed to earn one hour of paid sick-leave for every 30 hours worked. Under the bills, which were reintroduced earlier this year, there is a 40-hour per year cap for businesses with nine or fewer employees and a 72-hour per year cap for businesses with 10 or more workers. Unless an employer decides to begin offering paid sick days at an earlier date, workers may begin accruing sick time 90 days after he or she was hired.
 
04/07/2014:
NJ should not impose a 'sin tax' on e-cigarettes: Editorial
Vaping is a hot new trend, and Gov. Chris Christie’s administration wants to capitalize on that. The state has proposed to increase taxes on electric cigarettes, to replicate the tax burden of conventional cigarettes. This is a good idea, the state treasurer argues, because "e-cigarettes" have not been shown to be a safe alternative to regular cigarettes. "Our main concern is public health," he said. But do we even know that e-cigs are a threat to public health? We need to study this further, before we bring down the hammer and start imposing punitive taxes. The government should impose the same restrictions on marketing and sale of e-cigs as they do on regular tobacco products. And there should be some form of quality control. But a sin tax isn’t the answer. E-cigs should be taxed at the same level as pharmaceutical, over-the-counter nicotine products that help smokers quit -- with a simple sales tax. Taxing e-cigs as if they were cigarettes only makes them less attractive to smokers who want to switch. And if the Christie administration’s true concern is public health, that should be reason enough not to.
 
04/07/2014:
Flexibility for small businesses: Adjustment to ACA lifts limits on deductibles
Small businesses potentially regained some flexibility to buy health insurance plans when Congress and President Barack Obama last week tweaked a provision of the Affordable Care Act. The legislative fix – which drew little attention because it sailed through Congress tucked into a larger Medicare bill – lifted the limits on deductibles for health insurance plans covering small employers with fewer than 50 workers. Under the ACA, those deductible could not exceed $2,000 for an individual or $4,000 for a family. Now those deductible caps are gone, but it's not clear how soon small employers will see the impact since health insurers are currently selling plans that conform to the ACA deductible limits. Generally, the higher the deductible the lower the premium, so lifting the cap could make small employer health plans more affordable.

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

In order to be licensed as a Motor Vehicle Emission Inspector, you must complete this course and pass a "Written Exam" given by the State of New Jersey. NJGCA offers this training in a ONE DAY State approved training program that will provide an understanding of inspection related issues including EPA Regulations, Safety, Diesel, Customer Service and the New Jersey State Specific Curriculum. This specially tailored NJGCA course fulfills all requirements.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

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.