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

Funds needed to keep a moderate state Senate

By Jan Teague, President/CEO

 I am asking members to donate to our efforts to fund business-friendly candidates running in November in the Senate. The margin of business friendly-people in the Senate is extremely narrow, just 2 votes.  There is so much money being contributed to anti-business Senate candidates that I wonder if we will be able to hold on to the business-friendly seats we now have. 

 I will remind you that the Senate has 26 people who are business-friendly votes and 23 who are not. Of the 26, there are 13 people that we need to be sure and help win their races this November so we can keep our lean business majority coalition in place. 

 If we lost 2 business-friendly seats, the Senate, House and Governor would all be a one-party philosophy.  Business taxes of all sorts would easily pass, minimum wage would likely increase to Governor Inslee's $12.00 per hour (or more) that he proposed last year, sick and safe leave policies would be implemented statewide and union agendas would be easily passed. 

 These election battles are hard fought and hard won.  Every vote counts and every dollar counts.  The media will be alive with persuasive ads as the candidates battle over every vote.  These battles are tiresome, but that is the way it works.  It all costs so much money but if we are not there to help pay for ads that rebut false claims or help our candidates in their hour of need, they could lose.  In the end, we as retailers would be the big losers.

 If everyone contributed, we would be able to do our part to help assure the Senate remains as it is, business friendly.

 Please consider a donation to our political action committee. Send whatever you can to the Washington Retail Association, P.O. Box 2226, Olympia, Wa. 98507.  You can make the check payable to WRA RAC PAC.   It's a good investment in your political future.

Get to know the candidates for the Legislature

By Mark Johnson, VP Government Affairs

I had the opportunity this week to visit with seven candidates for the state legislature.  I admire and respect anyone willing to put their name on the ballot.  It can be a tremendous sacrifice and burden on the candidate, their family and their career.

The seven candidates were full of ideas on how to fix the state's ills. We talked about funding education, government regulation, tax reform, environmental protection, the minimum wage, labor laws such as mandatory paid safe and sick leave, transportation, criminal justice, etc.  The candidates had regular jobs.  I met with a lawyer in training, an inventor, a retired fighter pilot, a salesman and a teacher.

We also discussed their campaigns.  It was fascinating that some of the candidates spent very little money in the primary but had very good results.  They attributed it to knocking on doors or as they call it in the business,  "shoe leather." No smart candidate, though, would wear leather-soled shoes; everyone is wearing walking or running shoes. 

Astonishingly, some candidates said they had personally visited almost 10,000 voters' homes. I am still convinced that there is nothing more effective than having a good message, communicating it one-on-one with a voter and asking for their vote.   I have seen examples of campaigns that spend hundreds of thousands of dollars only to lose to a candidate who knocks on more doors.  So when a candidate knocks on your door, take the time to ask them about your favorite issue.

The election is November 4, just 77 days away.  Ballots get mailed out several weeks before the election.  Do your homework and get to know the folks who are running in your area.  If you like what they have to say, offer to put up a yard sign, go to one of their rallies, volunteer on their campaign and/or make a financial donation. 

By getting involved, we make the system and the people we elect even better.  My hat's off to those willing to put their name on the ballot and hopefully serve in our legislature.  The scary part for them is once they are elected the really hard work of governing our state begins.  Good luck to them all.

Hearings scheduled regarding increases in safety violation fines

Labor & Industries has scheduled public hearings and a webinar for companies that would be affected by proposed increases in fines levied for safety violations.

To testify in person:

Tuesday, August 26, 2014, 9 to 11 a.m.
Labor and Industries Tumwater Service Location

Thursday, August 28, 2014, 9 to 11 a.m.
Enduris Training Facility
1610 South Technology Boulevard, Suite 100
Spokane, WA

Tuesday, September 2, 2014, 9 to 11 a.m.
Labor and Industries Tukwila Service Location

Another option is by webinar.

          Meeting Details: WA Retail Association Webinar,  August 26^th 3:30pm to 5:00pm

If this is the first time you have used Lync, please go here and then click "Meeting Readiness." It will download the necessary app to run Lync.

If you would like to view the current draft of the changes, it can be found here.

Tammie Hetrick, WRA's VP of Retail Services, has objected to the fine increases as an unnecessary financial burden on members.  She has recommended additional education to employers explaining how the premiums they pay to Labor and Industries also help fund the Division of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) and safety programs to help reduce workplace injuries.

State officials have said they want to increase fines in compliance with a 2012 federal act that aims to reduce workplace deaths and injuries by toughening fines for safety violations.

WRA encourages members to participate in the hearings to explain how they would be affected by higher financial penalties.

If you have any questions, please contact WRA Safety Specialist Rick Means at 360.200.6454 or rick.means@retailassociationservices.com

Labor reform progress report

As citizen initiatives seeking labor union reform sprout around the state, the Seattle Times has endorsed a key piece in the movement: the end to secret state labor contract bargaining sessions.

The Olympia-based Freedom Foundation, a key part of the reform movement, has posted updates on its website of citizen efforts to require open, public contract negotiations and giving employees the choice of joining a labor union.

By law, eleven other states, including Oregon, Texas and Florida open union contract talks to the public in whole or in part, The Times noted. The slowly improving economy allowing the state to spend more money makes it more important for the Legislature to require open public contract negotiations for government employees, the paper noted.

"Now reform is more urgent than at any time since the Wall Street collapse because a rebounding economy once again gives the state money to spend," the paper said. "Taxpayers deserve to know if the state is driving a hard bargain."

The state Senate conducted a hearing last year on SB 6183 that would have required public employee bargaining sessions to be conducted in the open, but it failed to advance to a vote of the full Legislature. Also, click here for a commentary on this issue in the Yakima Valley Business Times.

Visit www.UnionInjustice.com to watch Freedom Foundation videos about the labor reform movement. It centers on union members objecting to mandatory dues supporting candidates with whom they disagree and calls for conducting labor contract negotiations in public.

The foundation also updated initiative efforts in Shelton, Sequim and Chelan for transparent government and freedom from mandatory union membership. If the required number of signatures is certified in those communities, the local governments could vote whether to make the reforms or pass the question on to voters in a general election.

NRF petitions U.S. High Court to reduce debit card fees

The National Retail Federation this week asked the U.S. Supreme Court to take another look at whether fees that consumers pay to use debit cards should be further reduced.

The fees have skyrocketed in recent years and reached an average of 45 cents per transaction before the Federal Reserve capped the fees at 21 cents, after initially considering a 12-cent cap.

In its most recent petition, NRF and fellow petitioners argue that the Fed set the cap too high in violation of a 2010 federal law that established a cap in the first place.

"This case is of staggering importance," the NRF petition says. "The economic burden of the (Fed's) error will be felt virtually every time a consumer swipes a debit card."

NRF has been joined by the National Restaurant Association, Food Marketing Institute and others in asking for lower fees that more closely match the true cost of processing a transaction to minimize the impact on consumers. WRA supports this effort to promote rather than discourage sales.

Click here to read more about NRF's petition.

Source: NRF 

Class-size initiative would worsen state financial burden, new policy brief concludes

If voters approved Initiative 1351 in November to reduce class sizes, it would exceed what is required by law and heap an estimated $4.7 billion in new costs in the state budget in the next five years, a new Washington Policy Center policy brief concludes.

Costs for implementing 1351 for K-12 class size reduction would be in addition to the estimated $1.2 billion revenue shortfall the 2015 Legislature will face to meet requirements of the McCleary state Supreme Court decision regarding K-3 class size reductions.

The brief notes that 1351 exceeds legal requirements currently in place in the state.

Gov. Inslee is expected to release his state budget proposal in December. The policy brief will be among the documents considered by legislators as they wrestle with how to assume any new costs while balancing the budget.

Click here to access this week's policy brief.

Source: Washington Policy Center

Nominees vie for open state House seat

Republican precinct officers have submitted three candidates for consideration to fill the vacant state House seat following last month's resignation of Rep. Mike Hope.

Mill Creek councilman Mark Harmsworth was the overwhelming choice of the nominees who include Lake Stevens Councilman Sam Low and Doug Roulstone, a retired Navy captain and former congressional candidate.

Of the three nominees, Harmsworth is the only candidate currently running for Hope's seat in the Nov. 4 election. He is opposed by Mike Wilson, a high school teacher.

The decision on whom to appoint rests with the Democrat-controlled Snohomish County Council. Visit The Everett Herald for more information.

Senator, chamber official support Ex Im bank funding

Sen. Maria Cantwell and Seattle Chamber Chief of Staff Eric Schinfeld separately this week spoke in favor of Congress renewing funding for the Export Import Bank.

Congress is debating the issue and has until Sept. 30 to act before funding runs out. The bank finances trade that otherwise might not be available to small and medium sized businesses.

An estimated 40 percent of Washington State jobs are tied to trade. The past five years, the bank has financed $91 billion in Washington exports from 165 businesses, most of which were small and medium sized, Schinfeld wrote in a Crosscut opinion piece.

On a visit to a Walla Walla winery, Sen Cantwell told the Yakima Herald that action on bank financing is crucial to maintaining the overall health of the state economy.

WRA and the National Retail Federation also are among the supporters of reauthorizing Ex Im Bank financing for the next five years. 

Safety tip: (one in a series)

Use the right ladder the right way

Every year, many workers in Washington State are seriously injured by falling off ladders. These injuries include dislocated limbs, broken bones, head injuries and in a few cases some workers die from their injuries.

These accidents occur because:

• The ladder moves, falls over or is set up improperly.
• The worker slips on the rungs, overreaches, or carries objects while climbing the ladder.
• The worker stands on the top cap of the ladder.
• The ladder being used is not in good condition.

Most of these accidents happen at heights lower than 10 feet.

Too many workers who use ladders aren't taking the proper safety precautions.  Ladders have become such a common tool that many workers don't associate them with the possibility of injury. Often, a ladder that is selected is not suitable for the task. Either it's too short, not properly set up or is not in good condition. 

There are many types of ladders so it's important to use the best one for the job. WRA asks members to review the ladders they use and consider discussing this issue at your next safety meeting.

For more information, go to:

RASI SAFETY TV

L&I - Ladder Safety

WRA employs Rick Means as a Safety Specialist who is available to members to help draw up safety plans and suggest topics for safety meetings. Contact him at 360-943-9198, Ext. 18 or rick.means@retailassociationservices.com.

Fundraiser scheduled for Sen. Tim Sheldon

Supporters of Sen. Tim Sheldon, D-Hoodsport, are organizing an election fundraiser on his behalf from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Olympic Flight Museum, on Sept. 17. The museum is at 7637 A Old Hwy 99 adjacent to Olympia Airport.

WRA has endorsed Sheldon's re-election effort. He has been a consistently strong supporter of WRA's legislative agenda with a 100 percent pro-WRA voting record.

The outcome of Sheldon's race in the 35^th district, including Kitsap, Mason and Thurston counties, will be critical to maintaining a moderate state Senate that understands the needs of retailers and votes to support their needs. A host committee for the event is in formation.

Contact Linda Matson, 360-481-3503 or lmatson@matsonassociates.com for more information.

WRA co-presents Tacoma small business forum

WRA is co-presenting a Washington Policy Center small business forum on November 14 at the Pacific Grill Events Center, 1530 Pacific Avenue in Tacoma.

The event is a great opportunity for small business owners and managers to meet policymakers, business leaders and elected officials to anticipate what's in store for the 2015 legislative session in Olympia. The forum is scheduled from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Click here to learn more and register.

WRA members can get discount at employment seminar

WRA members are eligible for a 20 percent early online registration fee discount to an annual labor and employment seminar scheduled in Seattle on September 9.

Attorneys from the firm Lane Powell will address a range of topics including employment law updates, managing employees with mental disorders, use of technology and complying with drug use following voter approval for marijuana use in Washington State.

The all-day event is scheduled for Motif Seattle's Emerald Ballroom, 1415 Fifth Avenue in Seattle. Click here for further details including speakers. Contact Kelsey Lamon, 206-223-6005, lamonk@lanepowell.com with any additional questions.

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. Visit here to enroll. Shipping customers with further questions are encouraged to call Partnership at 800-599-2902. You also may click here to receive a free rate analysis to help with your shipping decision.

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.