Write Your Senator to Lower Credit Card Swipe Fees
Marketplace Update: What’s Going on with Diesel?
2022 Turkey Drive
***The previous version of this newsletter went out without the link included to access the latest On the Road magazine. This version includes that link in the message below***
On the Road Magazine
If you have not already received it, the Voter Guide edition of the On the Road magazine should be arriving in your mailboxes shortly. With election day less than two weeks away, this guide includes everything you need to know in order to make an informed decision about where our candidates for Congress stand on the biggest issues that affect your business. at the voting booth. If you prefer to view the magazine digitally, you may do so HERE.
World Health Webinar
We had our first of two webinars scheduled to introduce NJGCA members to our new Health Benefit program. you can watch a recording of the webinar HERE. If you were not able to join this webinar but are interested in learning more about the program, we will be having another live webinar on November 9th where there will be another opportunity to ask questions. You can register to join that webinar HERE. This is the first time we have ever offered this program to our members, it’s a brand-new program we have not offered before that promises significant savings for many, and is completely separate from the webinar we held earlier this year. Submitting a questionnaire is quick and easy and you have nothing to lose by learning more about what you may be able to save. You can reach out to directly to Joe Amato Jr. at joeamatojr@worldinsurance.com with any questions, or you can visit the new landing page for the program HEREto read more.
EEOC Poster
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission just published a new poster that all employers need to have displayed. There is a fine of up to $612 for each instance of noncompliance, so be sure to print this posterand have it displayed to avoid financial penalties. The new poster includes the following information:
Notes that harassment is a prohibited form of discrimination;
Clarifies that sex discrimination includes discrimination based on pregnancy and related conditions, sexual orientation, or gender identity;
Adds a QR code for fast digital access to the how to file a charge webpage;
Provides information about equal pay discrimination for federal contractors.
Swipe Fees
Our allies at the national level think we have a real chance of moving a bipartisan bill that aims to allow merchants to choose alternative credit card networks to process payments to boost competition and help lower swipe fees significantly. New Jersey’s two Democratic Senators, Cory Booker and Bob Menendez, are seen as swing votes on the issue, so please click here to send a message and let them know that the credit card fees you are paying are too high. Even if you have already sent a message, it doesn’t hurt to send another and make sure your voice is heard. We know for a fact that the credit card networks and the Big Banks who profit from these insanely high fees (seven times higher than in Europe) are working very hard to kill this bill and are actively courting these Senators, they need to hear from you!
Marketplace Update
In last week’s Road Warrior, we talked about the concerns around the increasing rack price of diesel. These concerns continue to grow this week, particularly for the Northeastern region of the country and New Jersey as news hits that the country is facing an alarmingly dwindling supply. This comes just at the cusp of the highest demand season for diesel, the winter months, since heating oil is likely the cause of the shortage. We have also heard that kerosene is also becoming very difficult to buy, though not many sell it. We will be sure to watch this very closely and report on any potential consequences for our members. Many were also quite understandably shocked on Tuesday to see the average rack of gas jump about 24¢ a gallon from the previous day, and a further 5¢ increase yesterday. It was the sharpest single day price increase sine right around when the Russian invasion started and brought prices up to the highest they have been in about 12 weeks.
Turkey Drive
NJGCA will be hosting another virtual turkey drive amid news that surging turkey prices may affect New Jersey families' holiday season again this year. This year we will again be making a donation to the Fulfill NJ food bank, which is based near our office. We plan to deliver the check to Fulfill on November 14th. Last year, thanks to the generosity of our members we were able to donate $5,000 to the food bank, which provided 15,000 meals to families in need. We always hope to be able to exceed the previous year’s goal in the spirit of giving during the holiday season. If you are able, please consider donating.
All classes held at NJGCA HQ -- 615 Hope Road, Building 2, 1st Floor, Eatontown, NJ 07724
ASE Training Course - Reach Out Today!
Are you (or an employee) getting ready to take your A6, A8, or L1 in preparation to recertifying your Emission Repair Technician (ERT) credentials through the State's Emission Technician Education Program (ETEP)?
We can help --- but we need to hear from you, first! NJGCA wants to hear from students interested in our ASE-prep training program, so we can gauge demand and schedule our next session series.
As you know, the NJ Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) has always maintained a "dual-track" system to allow technicians to earn their Emission Repair Technician (ERT) credentials through New Jersey's Emission Technician Education Program (ETEP). In doing so, technicians were allowed to certify as ERTs through either an ASE-test track or an ETEP-educational class track. Starting on January 1, 2020, NJDEP amended the ETEP criteria, and the ETEP-educational class track was abolished.
Today, only the ASE-test track remains, and all ERTs must certify or re-certify their credentials though ASE to remain in the Program.
NJGCA has recently offered an ASE-prep class to help you get ready for the A6, A8, and L1. In doing so, students were welcome to participate in a ten-session preparatory class that covered material for all three ASE exams. We also had a handful of students who joined us only for the A8 or L1 sections.
Once completed, students took their ASE exams with a local ASE-approved test proctor (NJGCA can train you to prepare for the ASE exams, but are not permitted to offer the actual exam - students must make these arrangements individually themselves).
Building on that success, we are now seeking student participation in our next training series session. To make arrangements and organize a session, we need to hear from you!
New Jersey will slash employee contribution rates to state family leave and temporary disability insurance amid a glut of funds and lagging utilization, Labor Commissioner Robert Asaro-Angelo announced Friday. Temporary disability insurance rates will drop from 0.14% to zero, while family leave contribution rates will decrease by more than half, from 0.14% to .06%. The changes are expected to save workers an average of $111.50 — or $223 million statewide — in 2023.
New Jersey is the only state in the U.S. that doesn’t allow customers to pump their own gas — anywhere. There’s always an attendant on duty to pump gas for customers at these full-service stations. Oregon is the only other state besides New Jersey with a full-service law. However, Oregon’s laws are far less strict and allow certain parts of the state to have self-service gas stations. “It goes back to the middle of the 20th century,” said Patrick Murray, the director of the Monmouth Polling Institute. “There were forces involved who wanted to protect their interests in terms of the smaller gas owners against mega gas stations that were starting to be built at the time that would require self-service to be profitable.”
Across the country, states are inking agreements with neighbors or striking out on their own to pursue billions in federal funding to set up “hydrogen hubs,” clustered centers for production, storage and use of the gas that many see as a crucial piece of the puzzle for decarbonizing the U.S. economy. How broad a role it should play, however, is a matter of debate. The U.S. Department of Energy is looking to dole out $7 billion from last year’s bipartisan infrastructure law that could fund up to 10 regional clean hydrogen hubs, defined as “a network of clean hydrogen producers, potential clean hydrogen consumers and connective infrastructure located in close proximity” to be sited across the country.
Ask Americans their outlook on the country — its future, its economy, its president — and their mood has risen and fallen in surveys this year in striking sync with the price of gas. Gas prices go up, and fear that the country is on the wrong track often does, too. Gas prices go down, and so does unhappiness with the president. It’s of course not the case that fuel prices alone dictate the optimism (or surliness) of the nation. But these patterns suggest that gas, distinct from other things we buy, wields real power over how Americans think about their personal circumstances, the wider economy and even the state of the nation. Yes, this year has been marked by economic uncertainty, Supreme Court shock waves, Jan. 6 revelations and enduring pandemic divides. But lurking in the background of it all has been the whipsawing price of gas. And it is, by the way, now trending down again with two weeks to go to the election.
NACS, along with other stakeholders, have filed a petition in a federal court in Washington, D.C., challenging the Environmental Protection Agency’s waiver that would allow California to implement a zero-emission vehicle mandate. “We strongly favor more development of competitive markets for electric vehicles, hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles and other technologies,” said Doug Kantor, NACS general counsel. “But technology mandates will reduce incentives for environmental gains from a range of vehicle fuels and technologies. We should encourage innovation to meet environmental performance goals. That would be far more effective in reducing emissions and delivering the competitive prices, goods and services that American consumers deserve.” In August, the California Air Resources Board passed a plan that requires all new passenger cars and light trucks sold in the state to be electric vehicles or plug-in electric hybrids by 2035. Currently, 16% of all new car sales in California are zero-emission vehicles.
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.
Parts For Sale: Incon TS-1000 tank monitor works well just taken out of service. Printer is aprox 2 months old. Also, Incon 8, tank probes. System replaced because on an Exxon upgrade. Call John Twin Towers Exxon (201) 224-8444
