Washington Information Network
Washington's resource for political activity and issues important to retail industry professionals. Distributed to 2,800 subscribers
October 23, 2013
Washington Retail Association Newsletter
Washington Retail Association Newsletter
Washington Retail Association Newsletter
Washington Retail Association Newsletter
 Staff Contacts

 Jan Teague

President/CEO

360.943.9198, ext. 19

[email protected]

 

Mark Johnson

Vice President of Government Affairs

360.943.9198, ext. 15

[email protected]

 

Tammie Hetrick

Vice President of Retail Services (RASI)

360.943.9198, ext. 13

 [email protected]

 

Jim Szymanski

Director of Public Affairs
360.943.9198  ext. 12

 

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In This Issue...
More papers, Realtors come out against petition initiative, I-517
Tacoma grocery owners explain why I-517 would be a bad idea
Olympia, Spokane papers latest to urge defeat of GMO initiative
Newspapers urge defeat of GMO initiative
Help elect Jan Angel to the state Senate
Crouse resigns from Legislature
Seattle Times opposes SeaTac minimum wage proposal.
L&I premiums due this month
RASI website offers rate calculator for 2014 insurance rates
Auditors predict tepid voter turnout
Shutdown erodes consumer confidence
A plea for pro business, pro retail activism
Halloween is a $7 billion business
Watch video overview of WRA's discount shipping partner
Register for upcoming state policy summits
Tourism meetings to be held
Safety tip
Senator issues warning about state health care exchange

More papers, Realtors come out against petition initiative, I-517

 

Daily newspapers in Spokane, Wenatchee, Walla Walla and the weekly Puget Sound Business Journal have published opinion pieces in recent days in opposition to Initiative 517, which would greatly expand access granted to petition signature gatherers.

 

This week, the Washington Association of Realtors joined in the opposition to the initiative. Click here to read its announcement.

 

WRA opposes the initiative on several grounds. It would establish a buffer zone around petition gatherers that would rob retailers of their property rights while at the same time expanding often intrusive petition gathering into year round activity. Please visit WRA's website, retailassociation.org, to watch CEO Jan Teague voice her views against the initiative in a statewide televised campaign discussion.

 

I-517 also would rob retailers of their power to manage crowd control and grant unprecedented access to signature gatherers including in libraries and sporting events on all levels of competition.

 

The Wenatchee World had this, in part, to say about I-517: "It is an initiative written by the professional pushers of initiatives, for the professional pushers of initiatives, to make their livelihood easier to obtain, to penalize those who might obstruct them, to give themselves privilege beyond the ordinary citizen whose signature they lure."

To read more, go to the Walla Walla Union Bulletin (LINK); Spokesman Review (LINK); Wenatchee World (LINK); and Puget Sound Business Journal (LINK, subscription required).

To watch a TV spot on the initiative's unintended consequences, go to No on 517.

Tacoma grocery owners explain why I-517 would be a bad idea

 

Mike Hargreaves and Greg Saar are two of the faces opposing Initiative-517.

 

These grocers understand how the proposal would lead to unintended consequences and shared their thoughts in a recent Tacoma News Tribune opinion piece.

 

Click here to read why these grocers are urging a "no" vote.

Olympia, Spokane papers latest to urge defeat of GMO initiative

 

The Olympian and Spokesman Review are the two latest state papers to urge defeat of Initiative 522 that would require additional labeling on some foods in Washington State.

 

WRA opposes the initiative as unnecessary, confusing for consumers and a source of higher food prices.

 

The Spokane paper faulted the initiative for being poorly structured and littered with loopholes.

 

Said the paper: "Exemptions from everything from dairy and beef products to restaurant foods render much of I-522 meaningless to consumers."

 

Counting The Olympian and Spokesman Review, 15 daily newspapers across the state have urged defeat of I-522. For more on the flaws of the initiative, visit No on 522.

Newspapers urge defeat of GMO initiative

 

Major newspapers in Seattle, Tacoma and Portland have published editorials or columns urging defeat of Initiative 522, the November ballot item that would require special new labeling of genetically modified foods.

 

WRA opposes the measure because it would result in higher food prices and cause unwarranted and undue confusion for consumers.

 

The Seattle Times called the campaign "clumsy" and "emotion-based" in urging its defeat. The editorial can be reviewed by clicking here

An Oregonian columnist said I-522 would add unnecessary costs to farmers and consumers while providing them with incomplete information. Click here to read The Oregonian column. The Tacoma News Tribune refers to "multiple reasons" voters should reject the initiative. To read the editorial, click here (account required).

A Washington Research Council analysis has concluded that I-522 could add up to $520 a year in additional food costs for a family of four due to the costs of complying with its regulatory requirements. In addition, the Yakima Herald has warned of nuisance lawsuits and costly state government enforcement requirements that could result from the initiative.

Help elect Jan Angel to the state Senate

 

State Representative Jan Angel needs your help to get elected to the state Senate in the 26th Legislative District that includes Port Orchard, Gig Harbor and parts of Bremerton. 

 

Jan is a strong supporter of retail issues.  She scored a perfect 100 percent for the 2013 WRA Voting Record. 

 

Jan Angel can't win this election alone.  She needs your help.  If you are able, please make a donation, offer to doorbell, put up a yard sign or sign in your business, make phone calls, host a reception, anything to help get her elected.  She will be an excellent addition to the state Senate.

 

WRA has already endorsed Jan Angel.  We encourage you to contact her and offer to help.  Thank you in advance.

 

Please call 360-204-0776 or visit www.janangel.com.

Crouse resigns from Legislature

 

Larry Crouse, the longest-standing Republican member of the State House, announced this week that he will resign his seat at the end of the year.

 

In citing family health reasons, Crouse will create a vacancy before the end of his two-year term.

 

Family health issues forced Crouse to miss meeting time during the 2013 legislative session.

 

Crouse has been a solid supporter of retail issues, earning a 100 percent voting record with WRA during the 2010 and 2012 legislative sessions.

 

Click here for more on Crouse's retirement from the Legislature. 

Seattle Times oppose SeaTac minimum wage proposal

 

The Seattle Times and a new economic study have concluded that Proposition 1, which would spike minimum wages in the City of SeaTac, would actually hurt workers and impose an excessive financial burden on the city.

 

The Times concluded the proposed hike in minimum wages from next year's state minimum $9.32 to $15 is too high and would result in layoffs. Wages are best left to employers and employees to decide, not through voter-approved ballot items, The Times concluded.

 

WRA opposes Proposition 1 for many of the same reason as The Times, Further, WRA believes imposing higher minimum wages for airport and hotel workers would discourage companies looking to expand to locate in SeaTac.

 

As has WRA, The Times also has reported on workers elsewhere whose hours of available work were reduced after a spike in minimum wages, leaving them with no net gain in income.

 

In addition, SeaTac's Proposition 1 would cost the city's taxpayers as much as $3.4 million to enforce over the first five years, a new study has found. Opponents have argued that the additional administrative fees to enforce Proposition 1 would be better spent on essential city services.

L&I premiums due this month

 

WRA members who pay L&I workers' compensation insurance premiums are reminded that their payments are due by October 31.

 

Late payments can result in fines with interest, said Tammie Hetrick, WRA's VP of Retail Services.

 

The state recommends filing online. Using your computer, the state will calculate your rates, provide a printable confirmation page and allow payments by check or credit card.

 

Go to www.QuarterlyReports.Lni.wa.gov to file online.

 

L&I urges customers who file online to print a copy of their payment receipt in order to keep records up to date.

RASI website offers rate calculator for 2014 insurance rates

 

WRA invites companies to use a calculator on its website to figure out proposed workers' compensation insurance rates likely to go into effect in January.

 

To access the calculator, go to www.retailassociationservices.com (Retail Association Services, Inc.) and click inside the red box that comes up on the page. Once at the worksheet, simply type in the numeric code inside the "risk class" box for your type of business and the calculator will generate how much rates to employers and employees are proposed to increase or decrease next year.

 

L&I is conducting public hearings around the state this month to take input before making a final decision on next year's rates. Click here to learn about times and locations for L&I's public hearings and how to submit written comments.

 

Website visitors do not have to be WRA members to use the rate calculator.

Auditors predict tepid voter turnout

 

The state and Pierce County auditors are predicting voter participation of between 46 percent and 51 percent of registered voters in this year's off-year election.

 

State Auditor Kim Wyman and Pierce County Auditor Julie Anderson said initiatives regarding food labeling and petition gatherers may boost turnout, but don't expect more than half the registered voters to participate.

 

In an internet video, Anderson termed expected voter participation this year as "very sad" considering the registered voter count.

 

Wyman said the 51 percent turnout she predicts would be about average for an off-year election. It would be nearly double the August primary turnout of 26 percent, but well below the 81 percent last year for a ballot that included races for the White House, Governor, gay marriage and marijuana legalization, most of the Legislature and all 10 Congressional seats.

 

Sources: YouTube, Secretary of State

Shutdown erodes consumer confidence

 

The recent federal government shutdown eroded consumer confidence and could tamp down overall holiday spending this year, National Retail Federation CEO Matthew Shay wrote this week.

 

In his national blog, Shay likened the shutdown's effect this year to last year's temporary "fiscal cliff" crisis that depressed consumer confidence and dampened holiday sales.

 

NRF this year is predicting a 3.9 percent gain in holiday sales compared to last year.

 

But, as Shay wrote: "the forecast was prepared just before the shutdown began, and our chief economist, Jack Kleinhenz, made clear that the actual outcome will hinge on how Washington handles economic policy for the remainder of the year and how consumers respond."

 

Source: NRF Big Blog

A plea for pro business, pro retail activism

 

In the wake of the federal government shutdown, the National Retail Federation has put out a plea for business leaders to become more involved politically in a pro business, pro retail agenda.

 

David French, NRF's Senior Vice President of Government Relations, went on national television and wrote a piece in NRF's blog calling for business leaders to become more involved in supporting a pro business, pro retail agenda. In particular, he cited the need for national sales tax reform as the best way to speed the national economic recovery and restore health to the retail industry.

 

French called the shutdown "a spectacular failure" for the business community, but said opportunity can result from the failure if business leaders become more engaged in politics.

 

"Our policies are the right ones. But we as retailers need to get more effective at politics," French wrote.

 

Please click on the links above to see and read more about French's comments.

Halloween is a $7 billion business

 

Halloween has turned into a big spending event, according to the National Retail Federation. This year, in fact, expectations are that more Americans will buy Halloween decorations for their home, yard or office than for Christmas.

 

NRF expects consumers this year to spend $6.9 billion on Halloween, an average of $75 per person. That's a $30 increase in individual spending on Halloween since 2005, NRF reported.

 

This year, 70 percent of Americans will buy Halloween decorations for their home, yard or office, slightly more than the 69 percent who plan to do so for Christmas. The $21 average spent on life-size pumpkins, skeletons and more is second to the $51 shoppers will spend on Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanza decorations. The number of people buying sweet treats for Halloween actually beats out Easter, at 95 percent compared with 91 percent.

 

NRF's blog contains an infographic that breaks down how Americans plan to divide up Halloween spending this year.

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. 

Register for upcoming state policy summits

 

The Washington Policy Center will host two statewide policy summits on Nov. 12 and 13.

 

The events are scheduled to cover a range of subject matter from education to transportation, the environment, small business and government reform proposals.

 

The sessions are geared toward obtaining comments to influence Olympia policymakers, engaging the media in issues coverage and prompting civic action.

 

The Nov. 12 event will be at the Pasco Red Lion Hotel.  It moves to the Bellevue Hyatt Regency Hotel on Nov. 13.

 

Register for the Tri-Cities event here.  Register for the Bellevue event here. Click here for information on speakers. 

Tourism meetings to be held

 

The Washington Tourism Alliance is conducting a series of public meetings around the state this and next month to review its 2014 state legislative agenda.

 

The alliance requires an RVSP from parties interested in sustaining tourism promotion and retail trade across the state.

 

Go to Tourism Alliance to learn more about meeting dates, locations and e-mail contact information. 

Safety tip: (one in a series)

Protect against CO poisoning

 

It is cooler outside so doors and windows are closed more often and heaters are turning on more frequently.  It's a good time to become more conscious of equipment being used indoors, especially gas-powered devices in enclosed areas such as forklifts, gas heaters and generators.

 

CO is odorless, colorless and otherwise undetectable to the human senses and people will not realize that they are being exposed.  You should inspect any equipment that uses combustible fuels for proper operation and use: 

 

*Check heater exhausts flues to make sure that they are not damaged and that they are venting completely to the outside. 

 

 *Propane forklifts also need tune ups. A sticking choke will cause the machine to emit more CO exhaust and use more fuel than it should.

 

 *Generators should always be used outside. Never use a generator             inside homes, garages, crawlspaces, sheds, or similar areas. Deadly levels of carbon monoxide can quickly build up in these areas and can linger for hours.

 

*Install CO detector/alarm(s) for added protection.

 

Beginning exposure symptoms include headaches, dizziness and drowsiness.  Longer exposure leads to nausea, vomiting and/or tightness across the chest.  If you're experiencing symptoms of CO poisoning, get to fresh air right away and seek immediate medical attention.

 

More information can be found here.

 

Here is a short presentation of how a CO incident occurred:

 

WRA employs Rick Means as a Safety and Claims Administrator who is available to members to help draw up safety plans and suggest topics for safety meetings. Contact him at 360-200-6454, or [email protected].   

Senator issues warning about state health care exchange

 

A state Senator is warning of scams or misleading websites with addresses similar to the state health care exchange, which began signing up new customers this month.

 

The state and national health care exchanges have been plagued with problems processing the volume of applicants. Now comes a new wrinkle of confusion regarding use of the correct web address.

 

The state site is www.wahealthplanfinder.org. In a recent newsletter, Sen. Bob Hasegawa mentioned other sites with similar web addresses that would take health care shoppers to sites other than the official state site.

 

"A number of sites with similar sounding names have been created by companies looking to pitch potential customers directly and, in some cases, by actual scam artists hoping to steal your personal information, Hasegawa wrote.

 

The true state site uses the state abbreviation WA with the .org extender, no other.

 

"Most importantly, the federal tax credits that many people will qualify for and which will result in lower premiums are available only through www.wahealthplanfinder.org," Hasegawa wrote.

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