July 10, 2015

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!

SELLING GASOLINE BELOW OCTANE RATING POSTED AT THE PUMP
BUSINESSES TO PROVIDE RETIREMENT PLANS FOR EMPLOYEES
NJGCA CHANGES: EASIER READING OTR AND NEW OFFICE ADDRESS!

It has been a while since I have discussed any issues that involve Weights and Measures and the Department of Consumer Affairs. However, it has come to my attention that there is a violation that is popping up more than normal in the past year -- selling gasoline below the octane rating posted on the pump.  There are several reasons that this may occur: the most common is that when your delivery arrives, the regular gasoline that doesn't fit in your regular tank is dumped into your premium tank. This is sometimes a conscious decision made by unscrupulous operators who intentionally dilute their premium octane, but it can also occur at the hands of the delivery driver.  However, even when you do not authorize this, and a driver does it on his own, there are two reasons why you should be able to catch this mistake and act right away to get it resolved quickly:

1. You should know how much gasoline is going to fit in your tank when the delivery arrives
2. You are required by law to reconcile the amount of product in your tanks and your stick readings and ATG printouts should notify you immediately upon examination.

Even if the gas was commingled without your authorization or knowledge, the reconciliation of your inventory should reveal the discrepancy, which you should investigate immediately. Don't wait for customer complaints that they did not get the proper octane and a Weights and Measures officer shows up at your door.  We will stand behind you 100% if truly an honest mistake is made (on your part) and you seek to resolve it immediately.
 
There have been enough complaints from consumers that officials are now out there looking for these violations, which is why we are bringing it to your attention. Furthermore, you are not only a retailer of petroleum products, but you are also a consumer. When you buy something from any store, you are not going to be happy if you do not receive what was being advertised and printed on the label, and instead receive something less than what you paid for.  That is exactly what we are trying to avoid here.  It's the right and honest thing.
 
This next announcement goes back to our recent discussions about how the government is more and more involved in the operation of small businesses these days.  The most recent proposal in Trenton would require businesses to provide retirement plans for workers. One of the groups that we partner with in Trenton on many of these issues, The NJ Civil Justice Institute, is advising us that there could be some exposure to employee lawsuits.  We are continuing to further explore the potential pitfalls of this proposal, and we will continue to keep you informed of where this bill goes.  But, notice how often in the last year I have had to write to alert you of proposals in both Trenton and Washington, DC that are limiting YOUR authority and dictating how you manage your employees, what they will cost you, etc. for example -- paid sick leave, minimum wage, scheduling restrictions, credit checks, ban the box, workers compensation insurance increases, etc.  It is a scary time out there for a small business owner, but NJGCA is here to help and advocate for you when no one else will!
 
Finally, you should have all received your On the Road newsletter in the mail this week. We've made a concerted effort to streamline the newsletter and made it easier to read!  You also should have noticed prominently on the front cover, and in my message, the announcement that NJGCA is moving its headquarters, starting on August 1, 2015. Again, the address will be 4900 Route 33 West, Neptune, NJ 07753. The office is actually in Wall Township but uses a Neptune Post Office.  We are looking in to the exact address that will be printed on all of our material and what address visitors will use to plug into their GPS.  More info will come in postcards in the near future. Our email and website will remain the same.

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)

Emissions Inspector Class being offered in Wall Township (Monmouth County) on Wednesday, August 19, 2015!! Click HERE for Class Info and Registration Form!

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ETEP Re-Cert, Sections 8, 9 and 10 being offered in NORTH and SOUTH Jersey -- DAY and EVENING Classes Available!

For Class Informational Flyer, please click here.
For Class Registration Form, 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 

NJGCA Member with HUGE Auto Repair Building for Lease!!
     - Over 3,000 sq. ft., includes lifts and some equipment
    - Separate Offices and Customer Waiting Area
Location: Hackettstown, NJ (just one block off Route 46)
    - Located on busy roadway, plenty of parking & easy access!
Asking Price: $4,000/month (term of lease is flexible)
CONTACT SUSAN - 862-432-2179

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

District Manager
Store Manager
Trucking Operations Manager

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

NEWS AROUND THE STATE: THE NEWS YOU SHOULD KNOW

07/08/15
McConnell rules out gas tax increase
The federal gas tax isn’t going up -- and Congress still has no plan to keep paying for highway construction crews on the job this summer. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ruled out raising the gas tax as a way to fill the Highway Trust Fund’s dwindling coffers. Without an infusion of cash, the fund will run out of money at the end of July. McConnell said that the Senate will take up the issue as soon as next week.  But there is still no clear strategy for how the Republican majority plans to find the billions of dollars needed to keep highway and transit construction up and running even as key Senate committee leaders push a six-year highway bill that’s likely to need more than $90 billion to cover its costs. The federal gas tax has been flat for more than two decades even as it brings in billions less than Congress chooses to spend each year building infrastructure.  But raising that tax is politically unpalatable to the vast majority of Congress, and McConnell stomped on the idea after House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) did the same earlier this year.
 
07/03/2015:
Oregon launches program to tax drivers by the mile
David Hastings is a rare American. This long-time hybrid car owner from Oregon wants to pay higher taxes for roads and bridges and says the current 30 cents per gallon state gas tax barely affects him. Now, Hastings will pay more thanks to OReGO -- the first pay-by-the-mile program in the US, Oregon’s Department of Transportation has been working on it for 15 years as a way to eventually replace the gas tax, which has been flat due to an influx of high mileage vehicles and people driving less. Right now the program is voluntary and being capped at 5,000 participants, but an ODOT official told Fox News the ultimate goal is to make it mandatory and change the way states pay for roads -- forever. According to a national usage fee alliance, 28 states are in various stages of following down the same road. However, there are also privacy concerns. Two of the three OReGO systems track and store a car’s every move. Others are raising questions about the cost. Getting the gas tax is cheap, but OReGO vendors will eat up 40 cents of every dollar collected, and for those not used to paying any gas tax, it could be a whole new sticker shock – every month.
 
07/01/2015:
Clearing the Smoke around the Chamber’s 'Tobacco Related' Advocacy
Recent articles in the New York Times have falsely alleged that the US Chamber is working around the world to promote the use of tobacco. Let's be very clear: This organization is not in the business of promoting cigarette smoking at home or abroad, period. Smoking is a clear hazard to one's health. As an employer we strongly encourage our own staff to avoid tobacco products, and we offer various cessation products and services to them through our health provider. It's disappointing that the New York Times gathered a number of letters the Chamber sent to governments around the world for its recent articles but then doesn't seem to have bothered to read them. Our communications to governments concerning tobacco have explicitly made clear that we support their efforts to address public health concerns. Yet while we do not support tobacco use, we still believe that governments should uphold intellectual property rights, adhere to international commitments, and promulgate rules that are sensible and effective. It is these concerns that have been the focus of our advocacy efforts on behalf of this and many other industries.  To read the rest of the Chamber's comments, please click the link above.

06/16/2015
What changes to Obamacare could mean for small-business taxes
The Affordable Care Act (ACA), better known as Obamacare, established a number of so-called market reform restrictions on employer-provided group health plans, starting with plan years beginning in 2014. These restrictions generally apply to all employer-provided group health plans -- including those furnished by small employers with fewer than 50 workers. The penalty for running afoul of the market reform restrictions is $100 per-employee per-day, which can amount to $36,500 per employee over the course of a full year. Yikes! According to the IRS, the penalty can be assessed on employers for simply offering plans that reimburse employees for premiums paid by them for individual health insurance policies. The penalty can also apply to direct employer payments of premiums for employees’ individual health policies. We will call such premium reimbursement/payment plans employer payment arrangements. This article explains what small employers need to know about the punitive $100 per-employee per-day penalty.  For more information, click on the link above to read the entire article.

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.