Our colleagues around the country tell us that there has been an increase in ATM security issues. I recently came across an article regarding a rise in ATM thefts that I felt I needed to share with you all. If you have an ATM at your business, be aware that this crime is on the rise across the country. Thieves will actually rip the entire machine from its foundation and force them open for cash. If you have experienced similar issue please let us know as we too would like to share information with our colleagues in other state associations around the country. Please email michelle@njgca.org.
U.S. COIN TASK FORCE
You may remember this time last year there was a national coin shortage due to business and bank closures throughout the country. We have not heard about this issue recently, however, the issue has not gone away and we would like to know if you are still having a problem. Apparently, it's serious enough that the United States Mint and Federal Reserve created the U.S. Coin Task Force, a group dedicated to identifying and promoting strategies to get coins moving again. The task force has found that there are in fact enough coins, they are just not moving (think about the loose change collecting dust in all of our homes in jars in our closets and the other places we hold on to our loose change). We may be able to help in a public awareness campaign proposed by the task force to the Treasury. If you are currently having a problem with a shortage of coins, or receiving a supply of coins from your bank, email Michelle michelle@njgca.org and let us know the severity of the issue.
RIGHT TO REPAIR
As we mentioned last week, we continue to wait for a decision from the federal court regarding the Massachusetts Right to Repair legislation, but remain confident the court will rule in favor of auto repair shops. President Biden is also getting involved in this issue. This week, the New York Times wrote a specific piece on the issue, though they have falsely alluded that the issue for the automotive industry is resolved. Technically, they are correct, there was a resolution created in 2014 when the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association, Coalition for Auto Repair Equality, Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, and the Association for Global Automakers signed a MOU based on the Massachusetts law that would commit the vehicle manufacturers to meet the requirements of the Massachusetts law in all fifty states. However, things have changed so much that new issues need to be resolved. We are working with our friends at the Autocare Association and we will do whatever necessary to change the law in Trenton if its required. This issue will only continue to get worse over time as new technology continues to be developed; and we can thank the egregious behavior of manufacturers in other industries for paving the way to get this resolved in our industry.
FUELING WHILE INTOXICATED
This article on gas stations possibly being liable for selling fuel to intoxicated drivers came across my desk just yesterday. Might be easy to ignore and say it won't happen here, however, I'm wondering how long it will take for some overzealous legislator to introduce legislation that will actually make you liable for selling gas to an intoxicated driver. There's nothing currently happening right now on this, but our eyes are wide open. This is something that would need to be stopped immediately if it were ever introduced. As always, I bring all ridiculous natured things to your attention since the sewage from other states has a tendency to flow to New Jersey.
CLASS C OPERATOR TRAINING
It is so important now that things are picking up again from the pandemic that you make sure you have a Class C Operator on site at all times!
Who is considered a Class C Operator? Anyone and everyone working at your location! This program is not only designed to teach the basics of Underground Storage Tanks, but also what to do in the event of an emergency, safety precautions around hazardous substances, what to do if there is a spill, understanding alarms, and more!
We made this as easy as possible for both you and the trainee: we provide all the 'proof of training' documents you need in order to be in compliance with DEP, send you a certificate of completion after passing our training, and archive all records.
Be sure to follow directions closely. You will need to register your location first and purchase the test for each employee you wish to certify, then make sure to pass the relevant information on to your employees to take the training and test.
ClickHERE to access the registration site and get your location in compliance today!
NJ TEENAGE EMPLOYMENT
Last week we also made mention of a revised labor law that will permit teenagers to work longer hours without running afoul of the Department of Labor during the summer months amidst a national labor crisis. We have already heard of some of our members taking advantage of this. If you plan to hire teenage workers to pump gas or man registers, I suggest reviewing the Labor Laws for Young Workers Guidebook from the Department of Labor. You are always free to contact the staff with these questions, or you can contact our MBP labor attorney Steven Horowitz (contact information can be found in 2021 MBP brochure).
NJGCA CENSUS
Our census project continues, please be cooperative if you are called to verify information. We want to be especially sure we are capturing geographical information in order to contact every legislator that may represent you at both home and business. We also need to be sure we have correct email addresses in order to send you fast and timely information to keep you updated. We want to have every available means to contact members in the event of another emergency such as Superstorm Sandy. We have not updated this information in many years, and having this accurate info will be helpful to us when we communicate with you and legislators. Please be cooperative when you are called.
In order to make this process as seamless as possible for you, we have also created an online version to complete this information yourself. You are permitted to fill out the information online or wait to be called by staff. Please be sure you are completing the entire survey, as each question contains data that could be used to help persuade legislators.
The New Mexico Supreme Court ruled that gasoline stations are legally required to keep intoxicated drivers from filling up, the Associated Press reports. The divided ruling could have a wide impact on businesses, even beyond fuel merchants, such as tire shops and auto-parts stores. A federal appeals court asked the New Mexico Supreme Court to resolve whether state law related to potential liability of a gasoline retailer selling fuel to a drunken driver a decade ago. After buying fuel, the driver had a crash that resulted in someone's death.
A fired worker is testing New Jersey's state's cannabis law by suing his former employer, alleging he was wrongfully terminated for marijuana use days after the state legalized the drug. New Jersey's top court ruled last year that employers cannot fire medical marijuana patients who use cannabis in their free time. The new marijuana legalization law will extend these protections to those 21 and older, but whether or not that provision applies to workers now has been debated.
For many months, consumer advocates and business groups have unsuccessfully pressed the Murphy administration to assess what the state's clean-energy goals will do to the cost of electricity in New Jersey. Now, one of the state's largest business organizations, the Chemistry Council of New Jersey, has done its own in-house analysis on how those policies would impact its 45,000 members. For manufacturing firms, the industry group says its results project both a steep rise in energy bills for its commercial power consumers over the short term and long haul. And that increase is just for the existing subsidy customers pay to nuclear power plants and for offshore wind, once turbines start operating off the Jersey coast, which is expected around 2027.
OPEC+ ministers agreed on Sunday to boost oil supply from August to cool prices which have climbed to 2-1/2 year highs as the global economy recovers from the coronavirus pandemic. The group, which includes OPEC countries and allies like Russia, crucially agreed new production allocations from May 2022 to overcome differences between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) that threatened the plan.
Following a D.C. Circuit ruling that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) didn't have the authority to extend E15 sales year-round, lawmakers from heavily agricultural states have reintroduced bipartisan legislation to address the issue, Politico reports. Senators Deb Fischer (R-NE) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), both part of the Senate committee on agriculture, sponsored the Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act, which extends the Reid Vapor Pressure waiver for ethanol blends higher than 10%. In the House, Reps. Angie Craig (D-MN) and Adrian Smith (R-NE) submitted their own version, HR 4410, which gives the EPA waiver authority on ethanol blends.
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.
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