Jan Teague

President/CEO

360.943.9198, ext. 19

jteague@retailassociation.org

Mark Johnson

Vice President of Government Affairs

360.943.9198, ext. 15

mark.johnson@retailassociation.org

Tammie Hetrick

Vice President of Retail Services (RASI)

360.943.9198, ext. 13

tammie@retailassociationservices.com  

Jim Szymanski

No on I-517 launches website - Protect Private Property Rights

By Mark Johnson, VP Government Affairs

WRA has joined a growing coalition opposed to Initiative 517, which will erode private property rights and increase harassment by signature gatherers.  The so called "initiative" initiative will allow signature gatherers unprecedented access to private store fronts, stadiums and other venues, with little if any recourse by property owners or law enforcement.

I encourage you to visit the new website and read the actual language and arguments.  Join the coalition and if you are able donate to the efforts to protect private property rights and your right not to be harassed when you go shopping or attend a public event like a football or baseball game.

http://www.no517.org/

Two new websites on GMO

A website opposed to Initiative 522, requiring labeling of genetically modified foods, and GMOanswers.com have launched.

WRA is among a coalition of parties opposed to I-522. WRA believes the requirements would unnecessarily confuse and alarm consumers and result in higher food prices.

The No on 522 website allows you to read the entire proposal and review news coverage and editorials. GMOanswers uses a Q & A format for consumers to obtain answers to GMO questions.

WRA urges you to visit the sites and begin learning about GMO and I-522 before the November vote. 

WRA members to receive review of laws, votes

As an exclusive service to dues-paying members, WRA annually sends out its Law Review and Voting Record from each legislative session.

Those reports to WRA members will be released primarily via e-mail this week.

The reports include links to several of the 98 bills mentioned. They summarize outcomes for the most important bills affecting retailers that were debated in the Legislature's marathon 153-days of meetings this year.

The reports also include a detailed breakdown of how each legislator voted on the highest priority bills for WRA and its members. If you don't know your representatives, click here to find out by entering your address. WRA hopes you will find the voting breakdowns useful the next time you cast your ballot.

If you are a dues-paying member of WRA and do not have e-mail access and need a printed copy of the reports mailed to you, contact Jim Szymanski, Director of Public Affairs, at 360-943-9198, Ext. 12 or at jim.szymanski@retailassociation.org. 

Check out WRA's blog, other website features

The next time you visit WRA's website, www.retailassociation.org., click on the icon above the headline "Our Blog" on the left hand side of the page.

In addition to regular news updates in WRA's weekly e-newsletter, the WIN, breaking news of local interest occasionally slips in between our weekly reports. Check the blog from time to time to catch up on other developments of interest to WRA members.

WRA also has begun archiving past issues of the WIN on its website. Simply click on "Newsletter Archive" on the bar beneath the homepage logo to review past newsletter issues.

While you're at the homepage, remember, too, to click under the headline "Retail News" on the right side of the page to keep up on daily national and international developments in the retail industry, courtesy of the National Retail Federation.

Outlook projects growing state savings

The state's so-called "rainy day fund" of cash reserves is projected to grow, according to a report this week to the Economic Revenue Forecast Council.

According to state law, legislators are due to receive the first state budget forecast within 30 days after enactment of a state budget. The Legislature enacted the state's 2013-15 budget in the waning days of June, after two overtime 2013 sessions.

The current biennial budget shows a $626 million fund balance, including a $578 million ending fund balance and a projected unrestricted ending balance of $48 million.

The combined $626 million fund balance is projected to grow to $1.326 billion in the 2015-17 biennium.

Council members heard the report by Dave Johnson, budget coordinator for the House Appropriations Committee.

Rep. Ross Hunter, D-Medina, the House Appropriations Committee chairman, explained that the report is an early guide for legislators as they prepare to adjust to possible revenue shortfalls. Hunter also cautioned that the forecast is changeable and could vary as much as 30 percent in the next four years as the economy changes for better or worse.

Click here to read the report in more detail. The council is scheduled to receive its next general overview of state economic performance on Sept. 5.

Health care webinar on demand online

This month's National Retail Federation webinar, "Choices and Consequences under the Affordable Care Act" now is available on demand.

Previous registrants should click here to view the presentation. You will need to provide your e-mail login at the prompt.

Others interested in the content should visit www.nrf.com/webinars to review other topics covered in NRF webinars. Contact Lizzie Dorman for any registration assistance.

For additional health care reform insights, click here.

Source: NRF

Retail trade up 8.2 percent in state's first quarter

Retail sales got off to a good start in the first quarter of this year, compared to last, according to the latest state reports.

Led by construction, car sales and general retailers, statewide taxable retail sales increased 8 percent overall the first three months of this year compared to the same time last year, the Revenue Department reports. The narrower retail trade category, excluding construction and the service industries, increased 8.2 percent for the first quarter.

Among the bigger gainers in taxable sales were food and beverage stores, up 33 percent; lawn and garden stores, up 22 percent; and sporting goods stores, which were up 16 percent. It's important to note that liquor sales in private food stores throughout the state began in the summer of 2012, in the quarter after the first quarter of last year.

Click here to read the report in more detail.

Source: Revenue Department

Tacoma chamber needs feedback on business threat

A grassroots organizing effort has been identified that is trying to pass a Tacoma law to require businesses to offer paid sick and safe leave time to employees.

A similar law in Seattle, the only one of its kind in the state, has proven to be an expensive record keeping nightmare.

WRA is cooperating with the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber of Commerce to inform businesses about this proposal and solicit comments regarding the burdensome financial impacts it would bring if passed into law. Contact Mark Johnson, VP of Government Affairs, for more information at 360-943-9198, Ext. 15 or mark.johnson@retailassociation.org.

WRA members may contact Tom Pierson, President & CEO of the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber of Commerce for more information, at 253-627-2175. Also, visit the chamber's website established to solicit testimony opposing the idea.

Tacoma city council members have received many calls of concern from the Tacoma business community and have publicly expressed concern about the idea.

WRA opposed the Seattle law on several fronts. It is expensive to administer and leaves room for abuse that can be damaging to businesses that need to remain adequately staffed to serve customers.

Look for updates on this issue in future WRA newsletters.

Watch video overview of WRA's discount shipping partner

WRA's third-party shipping provider, PartnerShip, has released a short video overview of the discount services it offers customers.

As a WRA member, you could begin saving up to 27 percent on select FedEx shipping services by joining PartnerShip free of charge.

Four other possible advantages of joining PartnerShip include:

*Routing management. Based on an analysis of shipments, PartnerShip will recommend the best shippers for particular routes. The recommendation is based on a carrier's cost effectiveness and customer service.

*Bill auditing. Vendors such as PartnerShip say they often find invoices with rate errors of up to 10 percent in favor of the freight carrier. Corrections are made before the third-party vendor sends the bill to the customer.

*Improved inbound shipping. By relying on vendors to control your inbound shipping, it can be difficult to learn how and when your orders will be shipped and delivered. You can gain that knowledge by arranging shipping through a third party partner such as PartnerShip.

*Consolidated invoices. For frequent shippers, this can mean paying only one bill weekly or monthly as opposed to paying for each shipment.

Click here to watch the video overview of the company and obtain contact information. Also, visit PartnerShip's website and its improved, separate shipping website. 

WRA members offered discount to Sept. 19 employment seminar

The law firm Lane Powell will conduct its annual seminar on employment law and human resources issues on Sept. 19 at the Four Seasons Seattle hotel.

The firm is allowing WRA members a discount on the registration fee.  The day-long event is co-sponsored by the Lake Washington Human Resources Association.

Attendees will receive an employment law update; learn of impacts from the National Labor Relations Board, impacts from disability and wellness laws and ways to protect sensitive company information and data.

Click here to learn more and register. 

Wilbur departs as GOP party chief

Former KVI radio talk show host Kirby Wilbur announced his resignation this week as state Republican Party chairman, a post he held since January of 2011.

Wilbur announced he has accepted a job in Washington, D.C. with the Young America's Foundation, parent of the Young Americans for Freedom, a campus-based conservative political organization.

The party's bylaws require Wilbur's successor to be selected within 90 days of a vacancy. In the interim, vice chairwoman Luanne VanWerven will serve as party chair.

Source: Washington State Wire

Times compliments private liquor sales

The first year of private liquor sales in the state has won the editorial praise of The Seattle Times.

Private sales resulted from voter approval of Initiative 1183. WRA supported the initiative because it increased consumers' choices and convenience and would result in more revenue to the state and retailers.

The Times reported that the predictions of 1183's supporters have come true in the first year of private sales. Conversely, the fears expressed by opponents of the initiative have not come true, the paper reported.

Revenues to the state are up, while alcohol-related accidents and arrests are down since privatization, the Times commented.

Click here to read the editorial.

Source: Seattle Times

Small business suffering under Obamacare

The unpopularity of Obamacare is becoming more obvious as businesses adjust to its demands and next year's deadline for implementation approaches.

The reform law's unpopularity has even prompted a movement in Congress to de-fund the Affordable Care Act in hopes of coming up with a new health care program.

The Puget Sound Business Journal's Washington, D.C. reporter recently covered a Senate hearing to collect testimony on how health care reform is affecting business. Committee members heard from the owner of several diners who testified that layoffs and the possible closure of some of his restaurants will be necessary under requirements of the law as its stands today.

Click here to read a summary of that testimony. Click here for more on new calls to de-fund the Affordable Care Act.

Source: Puget Sound Business Journal

Safety tip: (one in a series)

Train employees regarding hazardous materials

Untrained employees working around potentially hazardous chemicals can be injured or even killed in an accident.

Labor & Industries has posted several accounts online of investigated accidents to raise awareness among employers about the necessity of proper safety training for employees working around hazardous substances.

In this example, an investigator explains a 2011 ammonia leak that resulted in serious burns to an employee working near a refrigeration unit. The accident was serious enough that it required an evacuation and could have resulted in a fatality had the worker not been protected with a mask and gloves.

Click here to review L&I's various audio accounts of fatalities and accidents caused by poor safety training.  Click here to learn more about Washington State rules and requirements regarding hazard communications.

WRA employs Rick Means as a safety and claims administrator trained in raising member awareness of safety issues. Contact Rick at 360-200-6454, Ext. 18 or rick.means@retailassociationservices.com