Legislature candidates endorsed by the Washington Retail Association won an average of nearly 62 percent of the vote in opposed races in the state primary elections this week, according to the Secretary of State's results.
Each of the 22 candidates WRA endorsed in Senate and House races moved on to the general election after the state's Top 2 Primary, in which the highest two voter getters in a district moved on to the November 4 election.
The endorsed incumbent WRA candidates have demonstrated the most reliable voting records in support of the association's mission of opposing unnecessary governmental regulations and taxes on retail operators. The association will be issuing another round of endorsements prior to the general election.
"We are pleased with the initial results of the primary election," said Jan Teague, WRA's President and CEO. "All of our endorsed candidates are leading in their districts. It is imperative for these strong supporters of retail to win re-election."
For state Senate, WRA endorsed incumbents Bob McCaslin in District 4; Cheryl Pflug in District 5; Mark G. Schoesler in District 9; Linda Evans Parlette in District 12; Mike Hewitt in District 16; Joseph Zarelli in District 18; and Mike Carrell in District 28.
For the state House of Representatives, WRA endorsed incumbents Jay Rodne and Glenn Anderson in District 5; John E. Ahern in District 6; Barbara Bailey in District 10; Cary Condotta and Mike Armstrong in District 12; Judy Warnick and Bill Hinkle in District 13; Charles Ross in District 14; Bruce Chandler and Dan Newhouse in District 15; Maureen Walsh in District 16; Richard DeBolt and Gary C. Alexander in District 20; and Doug Ericksen in District 42.
Bush signs federal safer toy act into law
The new child toy safety law President Bush signed last week provides a welcome uniform national standard to address the problem rather than an inconsistent, state-by-state patchwork of laws.
The Washington Retail Association has been urging a federal law since the issue came to a head last year with the discovery of toys with high levels of lead.
An analysis of the federal law by the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) reports that safety standards to be enacted by the Consumer Product Safety Commission will preempt state laws to ensure consistent enforcement. For example, the new federal limits on lead will be preemptive, according to the RILA analysis of The Consumer Product Safety Act.
"I am pleased the President and Congress have approved this important legislation," said Jan Teague, WRA's President and CEO. "Now retailers across the nation will have a consistent set of standards that will enable them to continue offering safe, educational and fun children's products to consumers. The question now arises if the Washington state Children's Products Advisory Committee should exist."
The federal law requires testing, certification and labeling for certain children's products and permits federal agencies to require electronic filing of certificates up to 24 hours before the arrival of imported products.
Significant impacts of the law include: *Bans of phthalates in children's products. *New lower levels of allowable lead. *Mandatory testing for children's products. *New notices in advertising and on Websites for toys and games. *Increases in civil penalties reaching as high as $15 million for violators.
For a more detailed analysis, click on this link.
Source: National Retail Federation
September is Disaster Preparedness Month
Washington State Emergency Management encourages all Washington Retail Association members to promote products that could help customers better equip themselves during the Disaster Preparedness Month outreach campaign in September.
Examples of items that stores are encouraged to promote include weather radios, flashlights, batteries, alternate heating sources and food and water supplies.
The Governor's Office has expressed interest in publicizing companies that do a good job in raising awareness of disaster preparedness to their customers. Besides promoting products, stores also are encouraged to formulate a disaster preparedness plan to protect their employees and customers in the event of a disaster such as an earthquake or flash flood.
WRA members are encouraged to contact Tammie Hetrick, WRA's Vice President of Retail Services, with information about special promotions or disaster preparedness plans they have adopted as part of the safety and preparedness campaign.
"Just as important as providing emergency equipment to the public is recognizing safety precautions for workers and customers in their stores in the event of a disaster," Hetrick said.
Contact Hetrick at her WRA office, 360-943-9198, Extension 13 or at Tammie@retailassociationservices.com
For more preparedness information, see www.emd.wa.gov
Source: Washington State Emergency Management
New mandatory leave laws affect all employers
Two new mandatory leave laws passed by the 2008 Legislature are now in effect and apply to all Washington employers, public or private, regardless of the number of employees. New provisions apply to spouses of soldiers and domestic violence victims.
Spouses of soldiers involved in military deployment now have the right to unpaid time off in certain circumstances. Spouses can substitute paid vacation, sick leave or other types of leave they have accrued (if these benefits are offered by the employer) for any part of the time off they take under this new law.
A new law allows up to 15 days unpaid leave per deployment. To qualify, the worker must:
*Work an average 20 hours or more per week;
*Have a spouse who is a member of the United States Armed Forces, National Guard or Reserves.
The law applies in the following circumstances:
*Time of conflict declared by the President or Congress;
*Before and up to the spouse's military deployment;
*When the military spouse is on leave from deployment.
This leave does not apply when military personnel return from deployment. A worker must notify their employer within five business days of receiving official notice that their spouse will be on leave or answering a call to active duty.
Domestic violence victims will be able to take unpaid time off of work in order to take care of legal or law enforcement needs, or get health care and counseling. Family members of a victim may also take leave to help the victim seek needed help.
Features of the new law:
*Employees may use sick leave or other paid time off, compensatory time, or take unpaid leave time.
*"Family member" includes a child, spouse, parent, parent-in-law, grandparent or a person the employee is dating.
The law says that the victim or caregiver may take "reasonable" leave but does not otherwise specify the amount of time that may be taken.
For questions about any of Washington State's leave laws, contact your local L&I office or the L&I headquarters office in Tumwater at 360-902-5316. There is information on the web at: www.Lni.wa.gov/WorkplaceRights/LeaveBenefits/FamilyCare.
Source: State Department of Labor & Industries
WRA sponsors free employment, safety seminar
The Washington Retail Association and Department of Labor & Industries are sponsoring a free seminar in Spokane next month on employment and safety issues.
Experts from the human relations consulting firm Humanix will offer tips on hiring and retaining valued employees and review ways to devise safety plans to help employers avoid costly workplace injuries.
The seminar includes admission into an exhibit hall where various safety-related vendors will be selling equipment and providing free materials to help employers learn state safety requirements. The exhibit will include a kiosk with a wealth of information on state rules and regulations related to operating a small business.
The seminar will run from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on September 24 at the Spokane Convention Center, 322 N. Spokane Falls Boulevard.
To register, send your name and company name to SmallBusiness@Lni.wa.gov. For more information, contact Ron Langley at 1-800-987-0145.
The Commons adds Indian restaurant
The Commons at Federal Way shopping center has added an Indian-style curry eatery to its food court.
Tandoori Chicken and Curry fills a niche in the mall's specialty foods category. Tandoori's specialty fast food menu includes chicken, seafood, rice and a variety of rolls. The restaurant opened on Wednesday of this week.
"We are excited to have Tandoori Chicken and Curry coming to our food court at The Commons, " said Gary Martindale, general manager of the 753,000-square-foot regional center. "Tandoori will fill a much needed category in our great mix of specialty food merchants."
Source: Steadfast Commercial Properties
Store roofs go green
More major retailers are turning to solar energy as companies continue to explore efforts to be more environmentally sensitive.
Wal-Mart, Kohl's, Safeway and Whole Foods Market are among the companies that have installed solar panels on their roofs in recent months, according to the New York Times
Macy's, which has solar panels on 18 stores, plans to install them on 40 more stores by year's end, the Times reported. The companies are trying to beat a Dec. 31 deadline to obtain tax advantages for the projects, the article reported.
Solar panels could generate from 10 percent to 40 percent of retail power needs, depending on their location and weather conditions, the article reported.
Sources: New York Times, National Retail Federation
Registration is now open for the Governor's Safety and Health Conference.
Thousands of workers are injured, and sadly, more than 100 Washington workers die from job-related injuries each year. Many of these injuries and losses are preventable. The conference provides resources to assist in design and maintenance of a sound safety and healthy culture at your workplace. The benefits include; reduced injuries, less time lost from work, money saved on industrial insurance premiums and an increase in profits. The comprehensive safety skills gained will benefit you far beyond the workplace.
There are two great pre-conference sessions, one dealing with wellness for commercial drivers that is a MUST SEE for any type of driver working out of their vehicle. This will take place Tuesday, September 23, 8:30am - 4:30pm at the DoubleTree Hotel, Spokane Falls Ballroom. For more information, please contact Sharon Drozdowsky at (360) 902-4622 or dros235@LNI.wa.gov . This is valuable for delivery drivers too!
The second session deals with Solutions for an Aging Workforce. Many workplaces are confronted by the demographic reality of an aging workforce. While older workers do have particular needs, solutions must take into account the needs of workers at all stages of their careers and lives. The course will examine specific issues, including workplace design for safety and health; work/life balance; maintaining health as we age; the roles of employers, employees, the larger community, and public policy in addressing this demographic change. For more information, visit http://nwcenter.washington.edu or contact Maribeth Moore, Northwest Center for Occupational Health and Safety, 206-543-1069 or moomoore@u.washington.edu.
Registration is now open for the Governor's 2008 Economic and Workforce Development Conference, Sept. 3-4, in Lynnwood.
Learn new strategies, applaud best practices and make important connections that will help move your workforce development organization forward.
The conference features: · An update from Gov. Chris Gregoire on The Next Washington. · Recognition of 2008 Economic and Workforce Development Award winners. · Cutting-edge workshops on industry clusters, Innovation Partnership Zones and the green economy. · Compelling breakout sessions to help your organization thrive in a global marketplace.
Register now and qualify for the early-bird registration fee of $150. After Aug. 8, it's $200. Tickets to this two-day event include continental breakfast, lunch and an evening reception.
Join us and learn new ways to keep Washington's economy and workforce moving ahead!
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The Washington Attorney General (AG) announced these upcoming free community shred events and free identity theft prevention forums providing opportunities to shred important personally identifiable documents. Bring your documents to be shredded!
Below is a list of upcoming events. You can find more information and additional shredding sites online at www.atg.wa.gov/shredathon.aspx.
CENTRALIA: Wednesday, September 3, 2008, 11:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. Location TBA. Guard It! identity theft forum with Attorney General Rob McKenna: Noon to 1:30 pm.Shredding donated by LeMay
GOLDENDALE: Tentatively planned for Wednesday, September 10, 2008. Location TBA. In conjunction with Guard It! identity theft forum with Attorney General Rob McKenna.
TACOMA: Ongoing, Monday-Saturday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Tacoma Recycling Co., Inc., 2318 South Tacoma Way Offers free document destruction for private individuals who bring in less than 10 pounds of material during regular business hours. Consumers may witness their papers being destroyed. Businesses will be charged for this service. Info: (253) 474-9559
Washington Retail Association | 618 Quince St SE, STE A | PO Box 2227 | Olympia | WA | 98501
The Washington Retail Association, WRA, is a 501 C 6 trade association formed to advocate for Washington State’s retailers at the local, state and national level. Since 1987, the WRA has protected Washington's retailers from unreasonable taxes, fees, regulations and legislation. The efforts of the WRA benefit all Washington state retailers and help fuel statewide economic growth.
