Candidates reveal soft spot for reducing B&O taxes
By Jan Teague President/CEO
This week has been filled with campaign fundraisers and candidate interviews. I continue to see some very good candidates willing to hold public office and at the same time others who are very unqualified. One candidate is nineteen years old while another looks like he is eighty. Somewhere in the mix are stellar candidates who are fiercely competing.
What strikes me is that the good talkers take center stage. It doesn't seem to matter that the answers are scripted and begin to sound the same from candidate to candidate. There is a strong similarity to what they say that makes me realize how strongly connected they are to one party or the other.
One strong message that the Democrats want business leaders to hear is their commitment to small business. In fact, many of them operate small businesses, so it seems quite genuine that they would have sympathy for small business.
They all seem to want to give small business a break on B & O taxes. Of course, someone else will have to pick up the slack in lost revenues if that break goes to small business. But it is heartening to think that they recognize the burden a gross receipts tax places on business.
We hope to have all of our endorsements done by the end of next week. You will be able to see them on our webpage and we will report them in the WIN newsletter. If you have the inclination to donate directly to a candidate, it would be good to get that done in early October as they will need to plan how to spend their funds over the last few weeks.
If you have any questions in the meantime about a particular candidate, give me or Mark Johnson a call. We have research on every candidate and can tell you how much money they have raised, how well they are doing in their race, and how others are viewing their potential to win.
Please keep in mind that this is a very critical year for business votes. Every vote matters, particularly in some tight races around the state. If you are comfortable sharing our endorsements with your employees, then please feel free to run a copy from the webpage and post it in your work room area.
WRA attends first "Retail Green" business conference
The Washington Retail Association and its members were well represented at the International Council of Shopping Centers' first Retail Green conference this week near Dallas, Texas.
Among those who attended were Mark Johnson, WRA's Vice President of Government Affairs; board member Glen Bachman, Vice President of Operations and Administration for Kemper Development; and members Wal-Mart, Target and J.C. Penney stores.
The two-day conference and trade show explored how the environmentally-sensitive "green" movement has become an increasingly large part of retail in the form of energy-efficient design, re-use and conservation of energy and the adoption of sustainable business practices.
Bachman presented several environmentally-sensitive techniques during a roundtable discussion.
"The information we gained will be invaluable to effectively represent retailers and to help tell the story of how retailers are adapting and planning to solve their sustainability and environmental challenges," Johnson said.
Johnson said the conference will help him prepare for state legislative discussions during the 2009 session.
Those who attended heard a presentation from Jason Doak, manager of the retail sector of the non-profit U.S. Green Building Council, who explained how businesses can gain certification for environmentally-sensitive buildings. The industry term for certification is known as LEED, which stands for The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. Doak said his agency is working on universal design standards that would speed review and approval of certification for companies constructing multiple store locations.
One conference highlight was a tour of a prototype Wal-Mart store designed to use 25 percent less energy. The retailer is employing a variety of techniques including the recycling of waste cooking oil, more skylights and motion-sensitive lighting to save energy.
The conference marked the beginning of a long-term campaign by ICSC to educate retailers on addressing and deepening their commitments to sustainable and environmentally-friendly business practices.
Bills related to lead expected in next legislative session
Legislators with interest in limiting public exposure to lead say they plan to introduce bills in the upcoming 2009 session to accomplish their goals.
The plans surfaced during a meeting of the House Select Committee on Environmental Health.
Rep. Alex Wood (D-Spokane) said he planned to re-introduce a bill requiring lead labeling on certain as-yet unspecified products. A similar bill passed the House last session but did not get out of the full Legislature.
Wood said he would prefer that Congress address the issue with national legislation that pertains to all states.
Rep. Tom Campbell, (R-Spanaway), said he also planned to introduce a bill to ban the use of lead wheel weights used by shops that balance automobile tires.
A similar bill by Campbell also cleared the House during the last session but did not get out of the Senate.
Similar concerns about lead used in the paint of children's toys prompted Congress to pass a law earlier this year that will reduce lead content in toys over time.
State to do outreach on tare weight awareness
State weights and measures inspectors plan to launch an awareness campaign early next year on tare weight requirements.
The issue affects retailers, including grocers, who deal in bulk and pre-packaged items such as meats or candies. In short, a tare weight, or weight of food packaging, is supposed to be deducted from the cost of food that is sold by weight, said Kirk Robinson, program manager of weights and measures for the state Department of Agriculture.
Because of relatively high turnover rates of employees, retailers sometimes employ workers who are not sufficiently aware of tare weight requirements, Robinson said during a weights and measures advisory committee meeting this week.
Robinson said emphasis inspections on tare weight requirements would occur during the first quarter of next year. He said the department already has begun working with Top Food stores to increase awareness about tare weight requirements.
The campaign's goal is to ensure that retailers practice tare weight requirements while protecting consumers from paying too much for merchandise.
In other business, Robinson said: *The department plans a round of inspections beginning in November to ensure that airlines are using accurate scales to weigh baggage and assess fees for heavier loads. *Public complaints about the accuracy of gasoline pumps have been rising with gasoline prices. Complaints rose from 19 in December of 2007 to a high of 98 in June of 2008, Robinson said.
Source: Weights and Measures Advisory committee
WRA sponsors free employment, safety seminar
The Washington Retail Association and Department of Labor & Industries are sponsoring a free seminar in Spokane next week 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 Wednesday 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.
WRA director nominations announced
Nominations have been announced for membership on the Washington Retail Association's Board of Directors.
Nominations to date include Bob Lane of J.C. Penney Company; Kevin Groff of Safeway Stores; Ed Hildreth of Sound Janitorial Supply; Louis Meunier of Macy's; Jerry Alder of Alderwood Mall; Roy Beets of Best Buy; Linda Heinin of Target Corporation; Tom James of Opus Law Group; Adam Jaffe of Walgreen Company; and Jennifer Spall of Wal-Mart.
WRA members are encouraged to apply for Board positions at any time during the year and may be appointed to any open seat. If you have interest in serving on the board, contact Jan Teague, President/CEO, at 800-754-9552, Extension 19 or by e-mail at jteague@retailassociation.org
Service on the Board is a voluntary position.
Nominations this year must be received by October 10. Otherwise, the slate as presented will be declared elected at the Board of Directors' November 12 meeting.
Seattle voters to decide fate of shopping bag tax
Seattle voters will get the final say on a 20-cent shopping bag tax the City Council approved in July to go into effect in January.
Opponents of the tax gathered enough signatures on a petition to schedule a repeal election, possibly in August, the Associated Press reported. The Seattle City Council could schedule the vote earlier than August, but the proposed tax cannot take effect until election results are known, the news service reported.
In a stance separate from the petition drive, The Washington Retail Association has promoted recycling as opposed to a tax to curb the discarding of disposable bags. The association believes the tax would be an unfair financial burden on consumers and has warned of the possibility for the unhealthy transfer of certain food germs if consumers do not clean reusable shopping bags.
If upheld, the tax would apply on each plastic and paper bag used at grocery, drug and convenience stores.
Source: Associated Press
Governor's Safety and Health Conference is next week
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. Next week's 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 on Tuesday from 8:30am to 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.
The state Labor & Industries Department has proposed an overall three percent increase in workers' compensation insurance rates, effective on January 1 of next year.
Hearings must first be held before a final impact on rates will be determined.
The department's proposal will include overall increases of 1.8 percent in the Accident Fund, 3.2 percent for the Medical Aid Fund and 7 percent for the Supplemental Pension Fund.
For most members of the Washington Retail Association, for example, the current premium rate of .0668 cents per hour per employee for the Supplemental Pension Fund would increase to .0836 cents per hour per employee, under the L&I proposal.
The proposal mostly includes tentative percentage increases in premiums across several risk pools and retail categories. Examples include retail stores, an overall 3.5 percent increase; tire sales and service, an overall 1.6 percent increase; household appliances installers, a 4.5 percent overall increase; and appliance stores, a reduction of less than 0.5 percent.
State-fund employers pick up the entire cost of the Accident Fund. Costs for the Medical Aid and Supplemental Pension funds are evenly split between employers and workers.
Self-insured employers pay 100 percent of the Supplement Pension premiums.
L&I Director Judy Schurke said her department tried to balance the need for keeping up with inflation while making the least possible impact on businesses from higher rates.
"This proposal balances our goal of stable, predictable rates with the impact on employers and workers in today's economic times," Schurke wrote in a memo to member of the Workers' Compensation Advisory Council. "We are all aware that many Washington businesses are struggling and working families are impacted by the increased cost of food, gas and household goods."
Tammie Hetrick, Vice President of Retail Services for the Washington Retail Association, has been evaluating the rate increases and can share additional risk class information with any member interested in more specific information.
"We have seen a significant reduction in hours reported by retailers," Hetrick said. "I am concerned that any increase may affect the employers' ability to retain the same number of employees and will certainly impact the hiring of additional workers as we approach the holiday season. This increase will also impact the employee's paycheck since their deductions will increase."
Advice for retailers to combat fake receipts
The growing problem of organized retail crime has a new twist: the appearance of Websites purporting to produce fake receipts for a fee.
The fake receipts allow criminals to illegally obtain refunds at stores for items they have not purchased but merely taken from the shelves.
Adrienne Viergutz, a data analyst in loss prevention for the Northwest Safeway stories, recently came across one of many such fake receipt Websites and shared the warning with the Washington Retail Association.
Of the few steps retailers can take to combat invalid receipts, Viergutz recommended: *Verifying the sale actually happened against a store's sales logs. Stores keep archives of recorded sales for varying periods of time, she said, and sometimes assign an employee to verify receipts against sales. *Scanning the receipt the customer provides to determine if its bar code matches that of the store's. *Amending the store's return policy to prohibit returns after a specific period of time, such as 30 days.
Stores have no foolproof way to stop all illegal attempts at refunds, Viergutz said. But the issue is important not just to store personnel, but customers, too, she said.
"These costs have to be passed on somewhere," said Viergutz, who said stores must reflect sales lost to theft by adding to the price of their merchandise.
Source: Safeway loss prevention
Wal-Mart promotes voter registration, turnout
Wal-Mart will begin airing public service announcements on its in-store television network later this month encouraging viewers to register and participate in the November elections.
The campaign will include two, 15-second announcements, said Jennifer Spall, Wal-Mart's senior manager of public affairs and a Washington Retail Association director. The company also has information on its Website with instructions on how to register to vote, at www.malmaretstores.com/vote.
Market research done for Wal-Mart also has found that: *About two-thirds of its female customers say the slowing economy has made them more likely to shop at Wal-Mart than they would have six months ago. *Nearly half of registered voters who are undecided on the Presidential election are more likely to shop at Wal-Mart today than they were six months ago.
Source: Wal-Mart
"E-Cycle" Website launches
A Website has been launched to explain a free statewide electronics recycling program beginning in January.
The Website www.ecyclewashington.org outlines how the program will allow owners of televisions, computers, laptops and monitors to recycle them free of charge. The program is a collective effort by electronics manufacturers, collectors, recyclers, local and state governments and non-profit groups.
The Washington Materials Management & Financing Authority charged with overseeing the program expects to offer more than 200 drop off locations in every state county and community with a population of more than 10,000.
Recycling companies currently charge fees to dispose of obsolete electronics equipment. The new free program will not accept certain items such as computer mice, printers, cell phones or scanners.
The Electronic Products Recycling Act of 2006 permitted the collection program with the aim of reducing the landfill volumes of metals, glass, plastics and other materials contained in electronic components.
Source: Washington Materials Management & Financing Authority
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.
