A FINAL REMINDER FOR OUR MEMBERS: On January 1, 2022 the minimum wage will increase for all workers in New Jersey. It will be set at $13.00 an hour. For an employer with fewer than six employees, the minimum is $11.90 an hour. If any of your employees are making less than this amount, make sure to inform your payroll company to increase their wages as they will not do it without your permission.
CDC RULE UPDATE
I'm sure most of you are aware of the new and frankly somewhat confusing rule change with regards to contracting the new Omicron variant and returning to work and society. I think it's important we try to break it down for you in case you or one of your employees contracts the virus in the next few days or weeks, especially with holiday celebrations ongoing and numbers continuing to skyrocket.
This week, the CDC cut the recommended quarantine time from 10 days to 5 if you are asymptomatic and test positive for COVID. At the end of five days, if you have no symptoms, you can return to normal activities and the workplace but must wear a mask everywhere for at least five more days. These rules are applicable to people who are unvaccinated, partly vaccinated, fully vaccinated or boosted. If you continue to show symptoms after the five days of isolation, stay home until you feel better and then start your five days of wearing a mask at all times. If you or an employee have been exposed to someone else who has tested positive for COVID, rules depend on if you have received the booster shot or not. If you have received the booster shot, you can skip quarantine but must continue to wear masks in all settings for at least 10 days. If you have not received the booster shot, you must quarantine for five days and then wear masks in all settings for five days afterwards. These rule updates are meant to help get people back to work and aid businesses and the economy that are struggling to find and keep workers in order to keep the lights on. However, the bottom line continues to be this: if you are sick, stay home. If you test positive for COVID but feel no symptoms, stay home until you test negative. Work with your staff in order to keep other employees, your customers, and yourself and your families safe from this latest virus surge.
A LOOK BACK AND AHEAD OF 2022
As the new year approaches, I always find it important to look back at the previous year and everything we have overcome. I also want to look ahead to what we are looking at for the future of our industries and our association.
This year, as evidenced above, we continued to combat COVID and work through ever-changing mandates and protocols to keep ourselves, our employees, and our customers safe. We received our vaccines...then boosters. We kept you informed on vaccine policy in the workplace and fought for common sense policy to keep employees working and keep our businesses running. We also fought against making our employees responsible for enforcing mask mandates for safety reasons.
This year our nation saw a labor shortage that we have never seen before as a result of the ongoing pandemic. Employers faced much difficulty finding and hiring employees, and many had to get creative in doing so. As many people were receiving more money in unemployment and COVID payments than they were in the workplace, many were opting to stay home. As the COVID payments and unemployment ended, we did see some relief, but not to the extent as before the pandemic. Of course, this is an issue our industry has faced even before COVID was part of our vocabulary, and is most likely something we will continue to battle with in 2022, along with the rest of the nation.
Related to the labor shortage, supply issues have also affected all of our industries. Lack of port and trucking staff resulted in cargo ships unable to unload goods into the country. Gasoline suppliers had trouble getting certain additives and detergents needed for gas blending. Car parts were on backorder and stuck on said cargo ships that could not unload product, causing repairs to take much longer than usual. Also, a global chip shortage resulted in car prices skyrocketing.
Our biggest effort this past year was made to change the law in NJ that prohibits motorists from pumping their own gas. The labor shortage has sent gasoline retailers into crisis and made our efforts more important. Thankfully, we have a dedicated committee of members who have helped raise funds to conduct a public relations campaign as well as meet with legislators. Our efforts appear to be succeeding as we have enough legislators who have said they will support our legislation and will vote YES. We have targeted January to have the legislation officially introduced and will keep you posted as we move forward. Look for any news that we send about Fuel Your Way NJ
The news isn't all doom and gloom, especially looking to next year. I remain hopeful with all the scientific advancements and the speed at which they are happening that we will beat this virus and things will eventually normalize. I also remain hopeful that we will change policy in New Jersey to alleviate the labor shortage through Fuel Your Way NJ with the continued support of our members and helpful legislators. If you are not currently receiving updates on our progress with this, you can sign up here. In 2022, I see things leveling out from this virus and returning to some form of normalcy, even if that may look slightly different than what we have seen before. One thing that will not change is our support for our members and our commitment to seeing our industries and our members thrive.
DUES UPDATE
NJGCA is converting to a new membership management platform. Beginning in January, your dues invoices will be emailed to you.
Please check your email. It will contain the dues invoice and a link that will allow you to pay it as well as set up an automatic recurring billing. Those members renewing in January will receive your invoice near mid-month. If you have any questions, please let me know by emailing accounting@njgca.org.
Wishing you all a very happy, healthy and successful new year!
All classes held at NJGCA HQ -- 4900 Route 33 West, Wall Township, NJ 07753
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!
Tesla has agreed to modify software in its cars to prevent drivers and passengers from playing video games on the dashboard screens while vehicle are in motion, a federal safety regulator said on Thursday. The agreement came a day after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened a formal investigation of the game feature, which is known as Passenger Play.
People who test positive for the coronavirus need to isolate themselves for only five days if they don't show symptoms, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday. This cuts in half the earlier recommendation of 10 days of isolation. Data shows that the majority of coronavirus transmission "occurs early in the course of illness," the CDC explained - generally in the one or two days before symptoms begin and two or three days after. "Therefore, people who test positive should isolate for 5 days and, if asymptomatic at that time, they may leave isolation if they can continue to mask for 5 days to minimize the risk of infecting others," the CDC said in a statement.
Pain at the pump will get worse before it gets better. That's according to a new GasBuddy forecast that predicts the national average will rise to $3.41 a gallon in 2022, up from $3.02 a gallon this year. That would reverse some of the recent relief American drivers have received as gas prices have slowly backed away from seven-year highs. The GasBuddy forecast, shared exclusively with CNN, projects prices at the pump will peak nationally at a monthly average of $3.79 in May, before finally retreating below current levels by late 2022.
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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