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

Can we ever get to Seattle on those clogged roads?

By Jan Teague, President/CEO

Why is Seattle's population growth doing so well ?  It's in large part due to Microsoft, which generates seven jobs for every job it creates.  Amazon, Boeing and the ports round out the list of top job creators in the Seattle area.

These well-paid jobs create demand for housing, retail, and services that all help create a robust economy.  There is no sign of weakness in the region with growth in the area expected to clip along at 1.5 percent each year. 

The region now holds 3.3 million people and takes in King, Pierce and Snohomish counties.  People will continue to flock to this area and add another 1.7 million people in the next 25 years.  With already clogged freeways and no sign of our governments getting ready for this anticipated new growth, the next big problem will be the transportation system that already can't keep up. 

Clogged roads mean longer commutes and longer delivery times.  This all adds to the cost of living in the area and impacts the region's quality of life.

Transportation funding has been controversial in the legislature for two sessions with arguments over what to tax, which areas will benefit and what accountability is built into the improvement programs.  With more drivers on the roads and more pollution in the air (remember that Governor Inslee is working to decrease pollution), we are at a junction where we either support our job creators or put our thumb on them. 

I don't see how we can have it both ways.  We need to start funding transportation improvements now. 

Initiative deadline is tomorrow

By Mark Johnson, VP Government Affairs

Initiative campaigns are scrambling to collect signatures to qualify their measures for the November 4, 2014 election.

I just saw a news blurb about the smaller class size campaign having 335,000 plus signatures.  Why so many, one might ask, when only 246,372 signatures are required to qualify for the ballot? 

Many of the collected signatures will be invalid.  That's why the Secretary of State recommends 325,000 to compensate for unregistered voters, duplicate signatures and people who live in another state or country

Of interest and note is I-1325, Tim Eyman's effort to put the two-thirds majority tax increase question before the voters.   Voters have approved a similar measure five times by wide margins. But initiatives have just a two-year life cycle before the legislature can amend them.  Eyman is trying a new approach by amending the state constitution so as to prevent the legislature from overruling a requirement that it amass a two-thirds majority to approve new taxes.

Another campaign that has caught my eye is I-1358, pre-empting local governments from adopting wage and labor laws different from the state.  This is born from the Cities of Sea Tac and Seattle adopting a $15 minimum wage and safe and sick leave ordinances. 

The Secretary of State's Election Division will start validating signatures soon.  This process can take several days, even weeks depending on how many signatures are submitted for review.

Tammie Hetrick

WRA's Hetrick obtains IOM management training certification

Tammie Hetrick, WRA's VP of Retail Services, has been awarded a diploma in a professional development program of the Institute for Organization Management (IOM).

"I am thrilled that Tammie took the initiative to further her skills," said Jan Teague, WRA's President/CEO. "As the VP of Services, she has strategic oversight of the membership's services. Her leadership is key for the success of WRA."

The recognition signifies completion of 96 hours of course instruction in nonprofit management. Participants also earn credit hours toward the Certified Chamber Executive of Certified Association Executive certifications.

The Institute's curriculum consists of four weeklong sessions at different university locations across the nation. Topics include leadership, advocacy, marketing, finance and membership.

"Institute graduates are recognized across the country as leaders in their industries and organizations," said Raymond Towle, the U.S. Chamber Foundation's vice president of Institute for Organization Management.

Talks continue as West Coast port contracts expire

Talks on a new labor contract cost for West Coast dockworkers are continuing even as a six-year agreement expired on Tuesday.

Retailers are closely watching for progress knowing that a strike could force $2.5 billion a day in losses for the U.S. economy, according to industry estimates.

Cargo will keep moving and normal operations will continue at the ports until an agreement is reached, according to a joint statement by the Pacific Maritime Association and the International Longshore Warehouse Union.

The outcome of the talks is crucial to all retailers who depend upon overseas imports of merchandise for stocking in anticipation of summer and holiday season sales.

Negotiators have maintained a news blackout during the weeks of contract talks, only adding to anxieties about the eventual outcome. Visit study for more projections on the income of a prolonged dockworkers' strike on the West Coast.

WRA has joined a National Retail Federation letter to the negotiators urging them to continue bargaining rather than to break off talks or stop loading at the docks.

Talks have focused on rising healthcare costs and user of outside contract labor.

Home care workers exempt from union dues, U.S. Supreme Court rules

In a case involving Illinois home-based care workers, the U.S. Supreme Court this week said they are not full-fledged public employees and therefore exempt from paying union dues if they object to union representation.

The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) typically collects dues from such employees in the name of covering collective bargaining expenses. The high court decided that mandating dues from the home care workers violated their free speech rights if they disagreed with the union's activities.

Reaction in Washington State is mixed as to whether the ruling would apply to SEIU Healthcare 775NW, which represents 35,000 home health care workers who contract with the state.

While a labor policy analyst for the Olympia-based Freedom Foundation believes the ruling would apply in Washington State, Attorney General Bob Ferguson said he was temporarily reserving an opinion until he's taken more time to study the decision.

A Seattle Times story reported SEIU collected $20 million in dues in 2013, $2.6 million of which it spent on political activities. The ruling stopped short of addressing the rights of public sector workers such as teachers and firefighters, but some observers believe it could threaten the health of unions in years to come.

Sources: Wall Street Journal, Seattle Times

Inslee could unveil carbon emissions plan this month, according to news report

A much-anticipated environmental plan some fear could further spike gasoline prices could be unveiled by Gov. Inslee at a July 29 meeting, according to a story in the Seattle online news site, crosscut.com.

The report pegs a July 29 meeting of a state carbon emissions task force as the likely time for a public unveiling of a plan to reduce the emissions. In 2008, the Legislature set a goal of reducing carbon emissions to 25 percent below 1990 levels by 2035. An earlier attempt by Inslee bogged down in political disagreements as to how to reach the goal.

The crosscut story reports that any preliminary plan this year would be released in anticipation of the legislature's debate on a 2015 bill. The Legislature is scheduled to resume meeting in January.

Speculation about the plan has included projections that it could include up to a $1-a-gallon increase in state gasoline taxes. Such an increase would cut into retail sales, weaken the state economy and threaten livelihoods within the retail industry, WRA believes.

Source: www.crosscut.com

State health exchange $13 million short to operate next year, newspaper reports

Amid the financial pressures the Legislature will face when it reconvenes in January will be the projected costs of running the state's health insurance marketplace, the Washington Health Benefit Exchange.

At an exchange board meeting last week, exchange officials projected the need for a $53 million budget to operate in 2015, which is $13 million more than the amount allocated so far by the legislature.

A Seattle Times report indicates it currently is unclear what the source of the additional revenue would be.

Created under the federal Affordable Care Act, the exchange has so far operated with an influx of federal dollars. It is expected to be self sustaining and weaned off federal assistance by January of next year.

WRA favors a pure market based network of companies to provide health insurance rather than a state-run exchange that brokers customers to options among a handful of companies offering coverage. A more competitive marketplace is better capable of operating efficiently and therefore of holding down health care expenses for companies and employees, WRA believes.

Source: Seattle Times

Author appeals for state court restraint in deciding school funding

In a new Everett Herald opinion piece, the President of the Washington Research Council appealed to the state Supreme Court to allow legislators time and space to decide future funding of state schools.

The court has been keeping a tight rein on the legislature since its 2012 ruling that lawmakers had fallen short of fully funding state schools, a requirement of the state constitution.

But Dick Davis, Research Council president, writes that the court is overstepping its authority and expertise in threatening the legislature with contempt of court for not keeping pace with the court's expectations of increased school funding. Davis' piece observes that the court erred in retaining long-term jurisdiction in the case after issuing a ruling.

He concludes by urging the court to "step back and let the legislative process work."

Source: Everett Herald

Phone scam targets businesses

A phone scammer is operating under the guise of the state Department of Revenue by fooling businesses into making expensive international calls, Revenue officials warned this week.

The scam works by leaving a voice message supposedly from the Department of Revenue directing the business to return the call to a toll-free number. If the business calls the number back, the automated system asks caller to enter a code or hang up and dial an international phone number. If that call is made, the company gets hit with phone charges.

Revenue uses an automated dialing system to contact business owners who have past due tax returns. But Revenue never asks taxpayers to dial an international number and never charges fees for calling.

The number that scammers are using is similar to the toll-free number that Revenue provides.

Taxpayers who receive a message from someone with Revenue should check Revenue's website to confirm they have the correct number: http://dor.wa.gov/800. The correct phone number at Revenue is 800-631-4028.

Also consider contacting Revenue and making a report with Attorney General's Office and Federal Trade Commission consumer protection teams.

WRA co presents annual small business forums

WRA again this year is co-presenting a series of upcoming small business forums around the state with the Washington Policy Center.

Times and dates still are being arranged. Forums have been scheduled Aug. 11, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Yakima Red Lion Inn on Aug. 11 and at the same times of day on Nov. 14 at Tacoma's Pacific Grill Events Center.

Forum participants will be asked to complete a survey explaining how issues affect their business. A report reflecting the impacts will be shared with lawmakers at the upcoming 2015 state legislative session beginning next January. Topics under discussion at this year's forums will include the minimum wage, health care reform, regulation and workers' compensation.

To register as a Tacoma attendee, contact Savannah Kimball at SavannahK@tacomachamber.org. Contact Chris Cargill, 509-570-2384 or ccargill@washingtonpolicy.org to register for the Yakima event.

WRA will update information on future forums, times and dates, in this newsletter as information develops.

Washington retailers featured in national marketing campaign

In cooperation with WRA, a collection of Seattle-area retailers has been added among a select few states featured on the internet by the National Retail Federation.

NRF's Retail Across America tour has visited retailers so far in North Carolina, South Dakota and Washington State with plans for visits in California and Ohio.

WRA was the second retail association in the nation to respond to NRF's invitation to nominate retailers to feature. NRF has maintained an ongoing campaign to explain the importance of shopping and the retail industry to the national economy.

The industry supports one if four jobs across the country, NRF reports.

NRF has made two recent postings from its Washington State visit about a month ago. Visit Instagram to see the photos and Retail Across America to read accounts of the visits with Seattle-area retailers.

NRF intends to share its results with members of Congress to remind them that the retail industry makes critical contributions to the nation's economic health and the livelihoods of families and customers across the nation.

Good time to comply with hazardous drug rule

Pharmacy employees and delivery personnel are among the occupations under alert to comply by this coming January with a new state law to protect employees from dangerous chemicals.

WRA members most likely affected by the new law would be pharmacy employees and shippers. Improper exposure to certain hazardous drugs can cause several reactions including rashes, genetic damage, birth defects and cancer.

Information from the state can be found here.  Labor and Industries has assembled a hazardous program guide for pharmacies.  Timelines and check points for the phased-in law can be found here.

Source: L&I

Safety tip: (one in a series)

Taking shortcuts often causes workplace accidents

The catch phrase "shortcuts can cut life short" is a good one to remember for any worker prone to ignoring safety precautions.

There are any number of excuses that workers give for taking safety shortcuts.

"Most of the time, the shortcut is because somebody has the perception that they're in a hurry for something," said Timothy C. Healey, director of safety at the Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection & Insurance Co. in Hartford, Connecticut. "What's interesting to me is what's driving them to feel that they need to be in a hurry."

A worker might rush to skip a step if they're running behind schedule. Or they'll rationalize that co-workers take shortcuts and never suffer.

Shortcuts can take many forms. Not wearing a protective hard hat in a construction zone is an example. A falling wrench that struck someone's head from scaffolding above could cause serious injury, even death. A mechanic beneath a car changing the oil could risk a permanent eye injury if he skipped wearing safety goggles.

Healey explained further that some workers simply like to work fast, are insecure about their job or have too little help to finish on time and rush as a result. Whatever the excuse, when the need to work fast seems more important than working safely, mishaps can occur.

Ashley Johnson, associate editor of the National Safety Council's Safety + Health magazine, offers the following advice to supervisors:

*Remind employees that accidents most often occur when they hurry and lose concentration on working safely.

*Design jobs so that the safest way to work also is the easiest way to complete the job.

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.  

Shippers save thousands of dollars with WRA partner

Shipping customers saved an average $3,100 in 2013 by shipping with PartnerShip, a partner with WRA.

Enrolled WRA members can save up to 27 percent on select FedEx services.

WRA encourages all members to explore this service. Visitwww.PartnerShip.com/99WRA to enroll. Shipping customers with further questions are encouraged to call Partnership at 800-599-2902 or e-mailsales@PartnerShip.com. You also may click here to receive a free rate analysis to help with your shipping decision.

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.

Save the date for the 2014 business fair

Organizers have settled on Sept. 27 for this year's annual small business fair at Renton Technical College.

WRA is an annual exhibitor at the fair, where speakers address numerous seminars on starting and growing a small business. Admission is free.

Look for updates as they occur at www.bizfair.org. Also, look for periodic announcements on the Business Fair Facebook page.