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@retailassociation.org

Jim Szymanski

The Price of Gas May Impede Retail Sales 

By Jan Teague, President/CEO

We had good news about retail sales being up for the year by 7.4 percent in Washington state.  This is an excellent sign of economic recovery.  Some counties did better than others as you would expect.  Pierce County was leading the countywide sales, up 10 percent.  New and used car sales, building materials, apparel, and  E-commerce represented the lion's share of sales.  The construction industry is really taking off with an overall increase of 15.8 percent.

All things seem to be moving in the right direction for the economy.  Unemployment is heading downward, the stock market is up, and construction is taking off.  Consumer confidence is 83 percent, up from 81 percent in April.  This too is a strong number and gives us hope for a good year for retailers.

Right now if I had to worry about anything for the year, it would be the price of gas.  I went to the pump the other day and put $50 of regular into the car and it wasn't filled up.  That was hard and I was reminded just how easily consumers will hold back on shopping if the price of gas is too high for their pocket book.  We always have a seasonal swing in the price of gas during the summer months.  But if we see other additional spikes due to public policy changes, like paying for global warming projects, then consumers will cut back on other spending.  There are very few items that change consumer spending like the price of gas. 

Governor Inslee has his eye on global warming and is talking about funding it through the price of gas.  Estimates are wild at this point, but what if it costs another $1 per gallon?  I can tell you that will make it very hard on people.  It would be a tax like no other.  Travel would go down which would impact hotels and restaurants, and people would simply shop less on discretionary items.  In some ways, it would force a tax shift to a special project without showing the public a tangible benefit.  The debates swirl around this issue and will definitely give the public pause to consider the sanity of it all, if it happens.   

Seattle Minimum Wage Likely to be Voted on Soon

By Mark Johnson, VP Government Affairs

The Seattle City Council is holding a special minimum wage committee meeting Thursday, May 29 at 9:00 am in the Council Chambers to further consider a proposed ordinance to adopt a minimum wage of $15 an hour.  You can attend or listen to the proceedings by calling:  1-206-684-8802.  Public comments are welcome at the meeting during the first 20 minutes.  The Council is also scheduled to have a full council meeting on Monday, June 2 at which time they could approve the proposed ordinance and it would become law.  The effective date is currently January 1, 2015 and is phased in over either three years for larger businesses with over 500 employees and seven years for smaller businesses.

At the same time the $15 Now! Campaign is collecting signatures to qualify a charter amendment for the November 2014 ballot.  They need to submit 30,957 valid Seattle voter signatures.  Also, there are several other groups that may file to collect signatures as well.  So potentially the November ballot in Seattle could be very crowded depending on signature collection efforts.

The mayor and the council are diligently working with stakeholders to try and avoid a divisive and expensive election showdown.  The proposed ordinance may be amended to help appease interested parties, in particular Councilwoman Sawant, the leader of $15 Now.  The Council can also decide to place the approved ordinance before voters as a Charter Amendment.  They can do this during their August 4 council meeting.

2014 WRA Law Review Ready

By Mark Johnson, VP Government Affairs

The 2014 Law Review has been completed and will be emailed to all WRA members that we have email addresses for.  If you do not have an email or do not receive one please contact us and we can mail one to you directly.  The Law Review is a members only document which summarizes bills impacting retail that passed and failed during the 2014 Session.  

L&I to conduct hearings on penalty revisions

Labor & Industries has scheduled three June public hearings to discuss changes in how it calculates penalties for safety violations.

The hearings are being held to ensure that Washington State penalty calculations mirror recent changes in the way federal officials at the Occupational Safety & Health Administration calculate penalties.

Company safety representatives are encouraged to attend one of the following hearings:

* June 17, at L&I's Tukwila Office, 9:00 a.m. to noon.

* June 19^th, Enduris Traiing Facility in Spokane, 9:00 a.m. to noon.

* June 24^th at L&I's HQ in Tumwater, 9:00 a.m. to noon. 

Walmart invites "made in USA" companies to a July summit meeting

Walmart is inviting Washington State-based manufacturers and suppliers to a national summit meeting at its Bentonville, Ark. headquarters on July 8.

The networking opportunity will help Walmart meet its commitment to spending an additional $250 billion on products made in the U.S. over the next decade.

The potentially new Walmart suppliers could gain access to the estimated 140 million Walmart customers. The all-day "open call" summit will focus on new business development. Walmart will make senior leaders, buyers and merchandise officials available to discuss potential business.

Click here to register for the event and learn more background.

Source: Walmart

Health insurers seek relief from state consumer exchange

An alliance of health care providers has asked the state Health Benefit Exchange to fix several service problems before the 2015 open enrollment period.

The requests are included in a letter from the Association of Washington Healthcare Plans. The letter outlines several service issues including inaccurate or missing invoices and other defects including delays in sending premium payment files to issuers.

The association asked the state to submit a written plan to fix the issuers before the end of the year.

"We cannot function in the current environment as it and support open enrollment activities at the same time," the letter reads. The current computer system is too difficult for many customers to navigate and understand, the letter continues. The exchange also has been plagued by delays in telephone service to customers.

For further information, visit the Healthcare Checkup blog in The Seattle Times.

Source: Seattle Times

Help elect pro-retail candidates by donating to the PAC

By Mark Johnson, VP Government Affairs

The election season is upon us.  This is an important year with all of the state House members and half of the state Senate up for election. 

WRA's Retail Action Council Political Action Committee, or as we call it the RAC PAC, will be a major player in helping elect pro-retail candidates to the legislature.  Our process is very involved and thorough to ensure the greatest chance for success. 

First, we are diligently working on a voting record for all current members of the legislature.  We select approximately 10 bills per chamber that we were involved in and score the legislators on whether they voted with us or sponsored something we liked or didn't like.  We then combine the 2014 scores with the 2013 scores for a biennium or two-year total.  This gives a better representation of the legislators overall support or lack thereof.  Once the voting record is done the RAC PAC will make its first round of endorsements. 

Surveys will be sent to all candidates who don't have a voting record and who have filed to run for the legislature.  After scoring the surveys we will decide which candidates to interview based on their scores and the viability of their districts to elect them.  Recommendations will then be sent to the RAC PAC for consideration of endorsements and contributions.

RAC PAC contributions are very important to help the pro-retail candidates to get the word out.  Yard signs, letters, websites, radio, bill boards and TV all cost money.  A contested House race can run anywhere from $100,000 to $300,000 and an average Senate race can cost upwards of $500,000. 

Individual donation limits to candidates this year are $950 per election, so for the primary and general you can give $1,900.  Contributions to PACs are unlimited.  We can also accept corporate dollars.

In order to secure a pro-retail legislature it is critical that contributions to the RAC PAC be made.  If you are in a position to donate please mail a contribution made out to:  The Washington Retail Association Retail Action Council PAC, P.O. Box 2227, Olympia WA  98507-2227.  We appreciate all of the WRA members who have already donated.

If you would like to discuss giving opportunities please give me a call directly:  360-943-9198 ,  Ext. 15  We appreciate your serious consideration of this very important component of our political program.

Safety tip: (one in a series)

Late night workers need to be aware

For those employers who operate late night retail establishments, accident prevention programs should address how employees working those late shifts would react if a theft or robbery occurred.

Any prevention plan should include training workers on de-escalation techniques; installing adequate lighting in parking lots; and providing drop safes.

Factors that can increase the likelihood of a crime or violence include:

*Exchanging money with the public.

*Working where alcohol is sold or served.

*Working late at night or in areas with high crime rates.

*Working with volatile or unstable people.

*Working alone or in isolated areas.

Employees who are working alone should practice these tips for their safety:

*Keep emergency phone numbers handy.

*Have someone contact you regularly to make sure you are OK.  If you operate more than one store, have each other cross check themselves.

*Make eye contact with all customers and greet each in a friendly manner.

*Don't leave back doors open and unattended.

*Don't empty garbage or make bank deposits at night.

*Keep a casual eye on anyone who is loitering but don't stare or confront them.

If a robbery occurs, try to you remain calm. Remember that personal safety is more important than any money or merchandise that might be lost. Further information is available here.

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 rick.means@retailassociationservices.com.  

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