Bill to Ban Plastic Forks Introduced in Assembly Flavored Vape Letter Update Another Minimum Wage Increase? INL Classes: Email Us Today April is National Car Care Month! Flavored Vape Letter Update Last week we mentioned some letters were being sent from attorneys representing Reynolds Tobacco to convenience store owners who were selling vapes with flavors other than tobacco, which is illegal under New Jersey law. Since we mentioned this issue last, we have followed up with representatives from Reynolds, who let us know that they have invested a significant amount of resources for this widespread, long-term effort. They have hired both people to investigate the convenience stores in question and a large, credible law firm. They are only sending letters if they already have evidence collected that a store is selling products that are illegal under NJ law. Thankfully, their goal is merely to get stores into compliance, not to generate revenue, so if a store gets a letter and quickly comes into compliance and stops selling these flavors, then they will not take any legal action against them. It’s worth noting that some of these flavored products sold by “trunk slammers” are extremely low quality and may be unsafe to consumers, opening up a store to liability from the customer. Some studies even mention some of these Chinese disposables were discovered to have fentanyl in them. We always urge our members to never do business with trunk slammers and always patronize a reputable distributor. If you need a suggestion, our Member Benefit Partner National Convenience Distributors is always a great start. Plastic Utensils Here we go again with another potential ban on convenience for New Jersey businesses. A new bill introduced last week in the General Assembly would eliminate the ability of New Jersey businesses to hand out single-use plastic utensils or packets of condiments unless customers specifically ask an employee for them. The proposal also applies to take out orders through drive-thru or delivery. The only exemption noted is for eco-friendly utensils and condiments. This, of course, comes less than a year after the enactment of the plastic bag ban, which also banned most stores from using paper bags and completely eliminated Styrofoam-like products. It also comes more than a year after a similar ban on single-use straws, also requiring customers to ask for them. It’s one thing if stores can just leave out a bin and customers can take what they need, but this bill seems to say employees must keep them behind the counter and only give out utensils when asked. It would also prevent stores from giving out more utensils than needed, so you wouldn’t be legally allowed to offer the little packets with a fork, knife, and spoon. The penalty for any violation is $1,000 for a first offense. This bill was only just introduced in the Assembly, but we plan to follow this and keep you updated on any action taken. Another Minimum Wage Increase? In January, the New Jersey minimum wage for most employers increased not to $14, but to $14.13. The larger than expected increase was because New Jersey’s law requires annual increases based on inflation, and last year we saw the largest inflation in decades. Now, some of the same leftist groups who pushed for the $15 minimum wage law are saying that $15 is not enough. In New York there’s already a fight between the Democratic Governor who just wants to increase the wage based on inflation, and some legislators and activists who want to increase it all the way to $21.25 an hour in less than three years. Given that the $15 minimum wage bill continues to be one of Governor Murphy and Assembly Speaker Coughlin’s proudest achievements, we can’t rule out another fight on this issue in the next few years. INL Classes We continue holding INL classes (to become a motor vehicle emissions inspector) with our latest one happened this week on Tuesday and Wednesday. We rarely post about the classes in the main message because our classes are usually booked in advance, as evidenced by the fact that this most recent one was actually overbooked! Our classes have a fantastic pass rate and promise to have your employees on the road to receiving their license in no time. We hope to hold more classes in the coming months with a goal of scheduling one a month. If you know of an employee or colleague in need on INL certification, contact Nick at training@njgca.org so you can be the first to hear about an opportunity. National Car Care Month April is National Car Care Month! For those of you with repair shops, now is the time to bring attention to the importance of regular preventative car maintenance and care. If you have any social media, consider posting something on your various platforms celebrating the month of spotlight. Consider posting about the importance of checking and changing your tires, oil changes, brake changes and the importance of other routine visits. You can even highlight your valued technicians. Social media is a great way to reach more potential customers in a competitive business market. Be Well- Your Association Staff |
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